


The Road Diverged

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: AU, Community: help_japan, F/M, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-08-11
Updated: 2013-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-22 12:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/238240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Lee begins to explore his new relationship with Laura, Bill starts to realize his feelings for Saul may go deeper than mere friendship. Two relationships develop in parallel, with ramifications not only for each other, but for the entire fleet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bill sat at his paper-covered desk, looking at, but not really seeing the files spread out in front of him. He rubbed his eyes, blinking blearily. The adrenaline rush he'd had all day was beginning to wear off and he could feel himself crashing.

The phone on the wall rang, startling him. He regarded it for a few moments, hoping it didn't signal the beginning of some new crisis. He knew he had to answer it, though.

"Adama."

"Hey, Bill, it's me."

Bill relaxed somewhat. Not bad news from CIC. "Saul. Hey. What's up?" They hadn't had a chance to talk privately since they'd jumped, and he hadn't realized until now how much he needed a familiar voice to talk to.

There was a pause. "Actually," Saul said, "I was wondering… if I could come over there?" There was a nervousness in his voice Bill couldn't place. Probably the stress.

"Sure."

"Okay." Saul hesitated and then hung up.

Bill went back to his papers and a few minutes later, the hatch opened and Saul appeared around the corner, stepping into Bill's living quarters.

His stance was guarded, jacket hanging open. He looked like he expected Bill to bite his head off for some reason.

"You did good today," Bill said, in case that was something Saul needed to hear.

"There's something I need to say to you," Saul said, almost cutting him off. He seemed to be struggling to keep his composure.

"Sure. Sit down." Bill offered him the decanter on his desk, but Saul declined with a shake of his head. "What's on your mind?"

"Been meaning to say this for a long time."

"Oh?" Bill smiled. "Lay it on me, then."

The corners of Saul's lips turned downward. "Sorry," he muttered. "Just never thought I'd say this. But after today, I wanted to get something off my chest, y'know?"

Bill felt his stomach twist. "C'mon, Saul, what is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing bad." Saul scratched his nose. "I mean, unless you don't—It's just that I—"

"Spit it out!" Bill snapped.

"Well, Bill, I... I've got feelings for you," he mumbled to his lap.

Bill froze. " _What_?"

Saul looked up, eyes wide. "I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to tell you, 'cause of today." He looked away "End of the world. Just felt right, saying something. "

All Bill could do was stare at him. "What do you mean, feelings?"

The tips of Saul's ears were pink. "I mean, like… you know."

" _Feelings_?"

"Yeah." Saul kept his eyes cast down.

"So." Bill wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure what to think. His heart was pounding like a kettledrum and he could see Saul was nervous, too. He didn't want to be unnecessarily cruel. He knew Saul, and it must have taken a lot for him to work up the courage to do this. But still, Bill wasn't sure how to process it.

Saul had feelings for him.

How long had this been going on?

Quickly, he tried to mentally review thirty years to see if there could have been something he'd missed. A lingering stare, an offhand comment about how Bill looked great before a date? Bill had never suspected. Saul hadn't had the healthiest relationship history but he'd been with plenty of women—and men—since he'd known Bill, so it wasn't like he'd been pining…

"Bill?" Saul's voice was barely above a whisper. A pause. "Gods, I can't believe I did that." Saul made to stand. "I'd better go."

"No." Bill hadn't meant for it to come out sharp but maybe it had. "Don't. I just need to process."

Saul hesitated, hovering halfway out of his seat. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I need to think about it."

Saul let go of the arms of his chair and sat back down with a whump. "Okay."

Bill smirked, then reached for the decanter and a glass. "You sure you don't want any?"

Saul shook his head. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Bill didn't pour himself a full glass, but he needed to drink _something_. "So, how long are we talking here?"

Saul laughed. He looked like he was relaxing a little. "Cliché as it sounds, ever since I met you."

Bill felt a pang. Saul'd been in love with him for thirty years and had never breathed a word. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Saul shrugged. "It never came up. And, I mean, you like the ladies. Never seen you look twice at a guy."

Bill sighed. "I know." There'd been a time in high school when he'd been questioning, but for the most part, he did think he was straight. "Saul, today has been—"

"I know. I know. I'll shut up."

Bill shook his head fondly. "No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying…"

"You're not interested."

Bill opened his mouth to protest, but he found he couldn't. "Yeah. I'm sorry. You're my friend, Saul, and I care about you. Just… not that way."

Saul nodded. "Okay," he said. "That's what I thought. I just wanted you to know. Felt like the right thing to do." He stood up. "I think I'm going to grab some rack time now."

Bill nodded. "Good. Me too." He didn't say anything else—Saul clearly needed to be left alone, though he'd been as gentle as possible. Bill vowed to call him later, invite him to just hang out next time they were off duty so he could show him this didn't change a thing.

Later didn't come, though. When Bill was roused by the condition-one alarm a few hours later, Saul's confession was the furthest thing from his mind.

**

Lee blinked, yawning. He'd lost track of how many jumps it had been. He'd lost track of how many _days_ it had been.

Plus, ever since he'd been appointed CAG, he'd felt like he needed to be there, even when he wasn't flying. He couldn't abandon his pilots to do something like _sleep_.

"I came up with a schedule," he said wearily. He wasn't sure why he bothered holding briefings. His pilots should be sleeping—and, in fact, many of them were. "It divides us into a group of three. Two on, one off." He paused, losing his train of thought. "We'll have to—" He yawned. "We'll have to—Never mind." He shook his head. "I'm tired, you're tired. We don't have to do this."

Ordinarily, if he'd ended a briefing early, there would be some celebration, but there was barely a peep out of the assembled pilots. Many of them had their heads down, which looked like a good idea to Lee. He yawned again, taking a step down from the podium.

It had been four days since the attacks—at least, he thought so. Being thrust almost immediately into this situation had given Lee little time to process it, much less keep track of the time. He glanced at his watch and noted the date, then realized the date feature was more or less useless.

Did it matter that it was Thursday if civilization was collapsing? Did it matter that it was Thursday if they all died within the next thirty-three minutes?

Sighing, Lee headed for the door of the briefing room. He might as well get some rack time if the briefing was done. Most of his pilots were already gone, and those who were still there had been asleep the whole time.

Somehow, he made it to the pilots' quarters without falling down where he stood. He did some quick calculations—probably, he could do ten minutes.

Without even bothering to take his boots off, he crawled into bed.

"Lee?"

He hadn't even had his eyes closed for five seconds when Kara roused him.

He opened his eyes. She was standing over him, holding the wireless receiver. "It's for you," she told him. She had a slightly bemused expression on her face. "It's _Colonial One_."

It took a second for Lee to figure out what she'd just said, and when he did, he sat up straight, taking the receiver from her.

"Hello?"

He'd been expecting an aide, but the voice on the other end of the line was that of Laura Roslin herself. "Captain?"

"Madam President." Awkwardly, Lee sat up a little more stiffly. He supposed he ought to have contacted her earlier—it was probably a mistake to make the President wait, but in the blur of the past four days, he had to admit, he'd forgotten about her.

"How are you doing?" she asked. He was surprised that was the first thing she asked. "I know the past few days have been rough on you, but I assure you, we are all truly grateful for the work you and the other pilots do."

"Er, thank you, ma'am."

Kara was staring at him, wide-eyed and smirking and he turned his head away so she wouldn't be able to hear his side of the conversation as well. It would still be all over the ship before the next jump that Lee had gotten a personal phone call from the President.

"I was wondering," Roslin continued, getting straight to her point, "would you be able to come here to _Colonial One_ during the next break? I was hoping to meet with you."

Lee opened his mouth. He was going to say he was sorry, but that just wasn't possible—they'd figured out the Cylons' thirty-three-minute pattern, but who was to say they wouldn't change it? But, what he actually said was, "Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can."

As they said their good-byes, Lee realized dimly that the next shift would be his off. He'd really hoped to spend it sleeping.

**

"How stupid are you?" Saul asked himself. His voice echoed in his empty quarters. He should be exhausted, but the shame and embarrassment that filled him wouldn't go away.

Thirty years. Thirty godsdamn years he'd been able to keep it to himself and all of a sudden, he'd gone and opened his big fat mouth.

Probably, Bill hated him. Probably, Bill thought he was disgusting. Probably, Bill couldn't look him in the eye because he was too busy thinking about all the times Saul might have been watching his ass in the shower.

Groaning, Saul ground his hands into his eyes. _Had_ he watched Bill's ass in the shower? He couldn't remember. Bill did have a very nice ass, and Saul was too tired to remember anything. It all seemed jumbled.

Maybe he hadn't _really_ told Bill his feelings. Maybe it had just been one of these waking dreams he kept having after going the past few days without sleep.

Sleep which sure as hell wasn't coming now.

Saul got out of bed and padded over to his desk. Maybe he ought to just go and relieve Bill, let _him_ take a few minutes' rest. Bill deserved it more than Saul did, anyway.

With a sigh, Saul buried his face in his arms. Part of him had always hoped his feelings—this stupid crush—would go away, but, if anything it was getting stronger the older they got.

It had started the second they met—he saw Bill as a savior, like a frakking knight in shining armor. If he hadn't seen the wedding ring within a few minutes, he'd probably have asked him out. Since then (until now, at least) he'd just kept his mouth shut and dated other people.

At least, until they noticed and dumped him, like Clive (and Bill had walked in on the middle of _that_ argument, which had been awkward, though he hadn't figured out what it was really about) and Ellen (who he had been still going back and forth on calling when the Cylons hit).

He closed his eyes, hoping he could just give in to his exhaustion. Part of him hoped that the Cylons never stopped their every-thirty-three-minute assault so that he would never have to face Bill again.

He didn't mean to do it, but his hand closed around the neck of the bottle on the desk and brought it to his lips. He knew he should have been rationing it, but he couldn't stop himself. He'd drunk half the bottle before he finally put it down, capped it and got up to put it away.

The locker door made a satisfyingly loud noise when Saul slammed it. "Time to go back on duty," he told himself.

Getting dressed took some effort—he kept trying to put his pants on wrong—and he nearly walked out of his quarters barefoot.

By the time he got to CIC, there was no longer any time to let Bill rest.

"You're late," Bill said sharply.

"Sorry." Saul cast his eyes down.

"I know." Bill yawned, and Saul could have pinched himself for thinking he liked the stubbly look on him.

Bill eyed him critically. "You didn't actually sleep, did you?"

Saul shook his head slowly. "No, sir."

Bill heaved a big sigh. He didn't add _and you're drunk_ , but he was certainly thinking it. "Take longer off next time," he said. "I can handle a jump on my own."

Saul opened his mouth to protest, but Bill looked weary enough that he didn't need to add arguing with Saul to his worries.

"Go back to bed," Bill repeated.

"Okay," Saul said. Everything was hazy enough that he didn't notice if anyone was staring at him as he stumbled back to his quarters. He heard the alarms start to blare when his head hit the pillow, but he slept through the jump when it came.

**

After the jump, Lee took a Raptor over to _Colonial One_. He hadn't had a chance to speak to his father outside of a briefing since the constant attacks had started, and he hoped Bill wouldn't object—at least, not publicly—to Lee's going to see the President.

Thankfully, he was able to launch and clear _Galactica_ 's airspace without finding out.

 _Colonial One_ was still in the process of being arranged to give Roslin some semblance of a private office, so she invited Lee to a quiet corner of the cabin.

"I'm sorry about this," she said. "We're still trying to find permanent places for the passengers of this ship." She paused, looking disoriented. Lee knew the feeling; he'd seen it on many members of _Galactica_ 's crew.

"Yes, well, I'm sure when the attacks stop, we'll be able to run more regular civilian transport. Right now, all ship-to-ship travel is restricted to military or government personnel."

She was staring at him. "Do we have any idea when the attacks will stop?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am, we don't. It's just—There's no way to know how—if they're tracking us. There's no way to know where we'll be going next."

"There are some civilian ships that have been reporting trouble with their FTL drives."

"I know, we know." Lee yawned. "There's not much we can do. Thirty-three minutes isn't long enough to send a maintenance crew, and _Galactica_ needs all her mechanics to get our fighters ready for the next attack."

"How are you holding up?"

Lee blinked, surprised that she'd asked him such a direct, personal question. "I'm fine."

"Sit down, Captain," she said, indicating her chair. "You look like you're about to fall over. When's the last time you slept?"

"Um." Lee didn't count the ten seconds he'd been able to keep his eyes closed while waiting to be given clearance to dock with _Colonial One_.

Her face fell. "Oh, I am so sorry. I should have let you rest."

"It's okay."

"The other pilots, how are they doing?"

"Tired." It was hard for Lee to find the words; he felt bad he wasn't more eloquent when speaking to the President. "We've split into three groups, and that ideally gives a third of the pilots the opportunity to sleep, but… it's hard to just sleep when you know your fellow pilots might be dying out there."

"I can sympathize," she said softly. "I'm finding it hard to let myself rest, too."

Lee was suddenly struck by how tired she looked. It hadn't occurred to him that civilians wouldn't be sleeping either.

"I've tried to sleep," she went on. "I just can't. We don't even know how many people are left alive. We haven't been able to get an accurate count with all the interruption. Just bits and pieces."

"What does it look like?"

She sighed. "We're going with 50,812 for now, but I think that's artificially high. We keep getting conflicting reports."

Lee swallowed hard. "That's not a lot of people, is it?"

"No," she said sadly, shaking her head. "I just don't know what we'll do on the run like this."

"Keep on surviving," Lee said.

"How are the members of the military really doing? How is morale?"

Lee paused. "Madam President, I'm not sure I'm qualified to—"

"Captain, I know I've only been in this job a few days, and I know you were only supposed to be on the _Galactica_ temporarily, but I haven't had the opportunity to get over there and meet with your father—"

Lee bristled. So _that_ was what she wanted. She only wanted to talk to Lee because she couldn't get in touch with his father.

"—But then, I realized you'd be better able to inform me how the crew is doing, since I don't imagine your father often leaves the bridge."

"CIC," Lee corrected automatically.

Roslin smiled. "So tell me, Captain Apollo. How does the crew feel?"

"I don't know if very many have processed it. The attacks, I mean. We've been pretty much constantly working, and there's not a lot of ship-to-ship com traffic, so I think people are just waiting. Holding out hope that maybe someone they know is alive."

She nodded. "I know. I keep… I keep hoping I'll pick up that phone and hear a familiar voice, but it's looking increasingly unlikely." She leaned forward, resting her forehead on her hands.

The intercom crackled and the pilot's voice said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Cylons have been sighted. We'll be making jump number 154 in just a short time."

Lee froze. "Oh. Oh, I should be on _Galactica_."

"Well, you're stuck here for now," Roslin said. "You might as well rest." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, before saying, "Would you like to sleep here?"

"Excuse me?"

She looked away quickly. "I was wondering if you wanted some real rest," she explained. "You can't very well go back now."

"I know," Lee said. Half of him was considering it. "Thank you for the offer, but I need to get back to _Galactica_ once the jump is complete."

She nodded, and then, she smiled. "Take care of yourself, Captain Apollo."

"I'll do my best," he told her.

On the way back to _Galactica_ , all Lee could think about was how calm and collected Roslin had been. She had been operating on as much rest as Lee himself, but she seemed much more in control of herself. He remembered how she had handled herself when the initial news of the attacks had come down. She'd accepted each new piece of bad news with composed strength, and she'd made some very difficult decisions, ones Lee wasn't sure _he_ could have made.

Even though it had cost him some rack time, Lee found he didn't regret having gone to _Colonial One_.


	2. Chapter 2

For a split second after Saul woke, he forgot what was going on. Then, it all hit him.

Leaving Bill by himself for—gods knew how long. Saul lifted his wrist to eye-level. "Three hours?" he snapped. "Holy Artemis." He jumped out of bed, kicking the sheet away in frustration. Should he change his clothes? He looked down at himself. Jacket looked rumpled.

He unbuttoned it quickly and left it where it fell. Belatedly, he decided to change completely. Be more professional.

Saul splashed some water on his face and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He wasn't going to let Bill down again. He was going to let Bill get some sleep—a _lot_ of sleep—and he was going to get the fleet through as many jumps as it took and not screw up. He'd missed six, so they'd be on 159 now, he supposed. Or 160.

It didn't matter.

Saul stared at himself in the mirror and debated shaving, but decided there was no time for it. He had to go.

"Your turn," Saul said as soon as he entered CIC. Bill blinked blearily.

"What?" His voice seemed foggy.

"Bed," Saul clarified. He pointed toward the hatch. "Go to bed. I'm sorry I slept as long as I did. It's your turn now, though. You can sleep longer than I did. I won't mind."

Bill gave Saul a long, calculating look. Saul winced. If it weren't for the fact he'd told Bill how he felt, would he be this jumpy? Was Bill now reading that into every little thing Saul did?

"Thanks," Bill said finally. He gave Saul an offhand salute. Saul returned it crisply and watched him go. Maybe it was his imagination, but he seemed to sag in relief. Saul vowed to let Bill sleep as long as he wanted, no matter how long that was.

Saul scanned CIC. "The rest of you, get back to work," he snapped. "We're not playing games here. You." He jabbed a finger at a lost-looking crewman. "Get me a cup of coffee."

**

As they came out of jump 165 alive, Laura crossed her arms on the tabletop and lay her head down. She was just going to rest her eyes. Nothing more.

She couldn't sleep, not while the Viper pilots, the maintenance workers, the people responsible for jumping the ships and protecting them from the Cylons were still awake. She didn't know very much about being president, but she was quite certain this was the right thing to do.

"Madam President, can I get you anything?"

She lifted her head. "I don't need anything, Billy. Why don't you get some rest? You don't have to stay awake on my account."

Billy looked very much like he wanted to take her up on her offer, but he shook his head. "I'll stay up. If there's anything you need, just ask me."

She nodded. "I'll be sure to."

She hadn't wanted to, but slowly, against her will, her head lowered once more. For some reason, she found herself thinking about Sean Allison. It had been forever since she'd really thought about him, but right now, it seemed like every few minutes another face, another name would pop into her mind, someone she knew who was almost surely dead.

She didn't know why she found it so upsetting. They were people she hadn't talked to in years, people she didn't even send Solstice cards to (well, really, she rarely had time to send Solstice cards to anyone). Her third-grade teacher. Her freshman roommate from college.

Sean.

In a way, Lee reminded her of Sean.

Oh, that was ridiculous. She was too tired; her mind was starting to play tricks on her. She wasn't attracted to Lee, was she? If she was, well, then she'd have to not be. This wasn't the time or the place. He was obviously a very handsome young man (emphasis on _young_ —she was old enough to be his mother). And this wasn't even worth thinking about since there was no way he'd be interested in _her_ , and no way they could act on it, even if he was.

Not if the Cylons were going to keep coming every thirty-three minutes.

Laura lifted her head slowly and blinked. Surely she had work to do.

**

Bill had never been able to sleep through jumps, so he was surprised when he woke up to find several hours had passed. He lay in bed for a few more minutes, just thinking.

They needed to come up with a better plan for next time. They couldn't keep doing the same thing. Maybe it was that predictability that the Cylons were preying upon. Maybe they just needed to change up the game. Bill wondered what would happen if they jumped _before_ the thirty-three minute mark was up. Did the Cylons need to see them to find them the next time?

No, they couldn't do that. He couldn't make his crew prepare for a jump in less than thirty-three minutes, couldn't push them harder. At least following this pattern meant that the window wouldn't get shorter.

This was just like the kind of tactics the Cylons had employed in the first war. Machines, a hive mind unafraid of individual casualties, they would seemingly do anything for the chance to kill humans. The Cylons didn't get tired, the Cylons didn't feel fear. They may have looked human now, but that didn't mean they had anything resembling emotion.

Bill could feel his eyes drooping again. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep again. Saul would be flagging by now. He rolled out of bed, wincing at the cold floor on his bare feet. He supposed that if he couldn't think of some alternate plan, he and Saul would just have to switch off. They couldn't keep going like this, without an established schedule.

He was halfway through dressing when he heard the alarms start to blare, so he double-timed it and was in CIC barely a minute later.

"Shut that thing off," he heard Saul roar from the other side of the hatch. The alarm was silenced just as Bill stepped into the room. "We've done this 172 times. You don't need to bust our eardrums every frakking time."

"I'm sorry, sir," Specialist Webb stammered. "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"I guess you weren't. If you'd rather take a nap than do your job…"

Bill decided it was time to intervene. "Colonel Tigh."

Saul looked up, immediately chastened. "Commander," he said stiffly.

"We're about to jump." Bill was only half-asking.

"Yes, sir. Jump One-Seven-Three." Saul stepped aside so Bill could join him at the console.

He kept throwing furtive little glances at Bill. If he hadn't had what Saul had told him the other day in his mind, he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but now he wondered if Saul was checking him out.

No. That wasn't fair. Saul wasn't like that. He was just sensitive to Bill calling him out. _Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh_ , he thought. _Saul's tired, too._

"I think we need to come up with a new strategy," he said.

"Sir?"

Bill hated when Saul got all stiff and formal when he thought Bill was mad at him.

"Saul." Bill used his name pointedly. "We each need more rest. Let's do all the jumps together. We can alternate ten-minute naps."

"I don't mind doing a bunch myself."

"You did twelve by yourself. That's too many."

"You'll have less sleep."

Bill sighed. How had he not noticed for thirty years, when Saul was always willing to crawl through the mud for him? He had to be lovesick to put himself through a six-hour stretch of solo command with no sleep and ask for more. "We'll be even." He allowed himself a smirk to show Saul he wasn't angry. "And I'll hold you to the ten-minute mark."

"Yes, sir." Saul still called him sir, but it wasn't serious this time. Bill was still debating if he should say something else, when Lieutenant Gaeta announced that the Cylons had appeared.

"Launch the alert fighters," Bill said tiredly.

"Maybe this time," Saul muttered. "Maybe this time."

**

Bill woke suddenly and sat straight upright, panicked. What time was it? How long had he been sleeping? He needed to get to CIC and relieve Saul—

Then, it all came back to him. The _Olympic Carrier_. Jumping for the 239th time. Two hours passing without Cylon contact.

After that, it got a bit hazy. The last thing Bill remembered was being in CIC. Saul urging him to go to bed, in fact, physically leading him to his quarters.

Bill looked at his watch. He'd been asleep for over fourteen hours. He supposed it was time to get up.

Yawning, Bill got out of his rack and began stripping on his way to the head. A shower sounded awfully good.

Bill pulled off his tanks and boxers and chucked them down the laundry chute. He couldn't even remember how many days he'd been wearing them.

His shower relaxed him, and he stayed until long after the hot water had run out. Sooner or later, though, he would have to get out.

It felt good to be clean, dressed in clean clothes. Now to get something to eat. He was about to call down for some breakfast (even though the clock said it was dinnertime), when he heard a faint snuffling sound from the next room.

Bill froze. Was there someone in here?

He poked his head around the corner. Saul was lying on the couch, fast asleep.

Bill's expression softened. How long had he been there? Since he'd ushered Bill to bed, probably. Couldn't even make it back to his own quarters, couldn't even take his boots off.

In fact, his legs were hanging off the couch, like he'd sat down and then fallen over from exhaustion. Bill approached him quietly and gingerly lifted Saul's legs onto the couch.

Suddenly, he remembered what Saul had told him… six days previously. Had it really been almost a week? They hadn't had a chance to talk privately since then, and the fact of Saul's feelings had barely crossed Bill's mind outside of the semi-delirious states where he'd wondered whether something between them might work.

Bill sat down on the edge of the coffee table and watched Saul sleep. He'd seen Saul sleep before, of course, but he'd never really _watched_ him. It occurred to Bill that this wasn't something friends did, but he ignored that thought.

In sleep, Saul's face was relaxed, belying the intensity he had when he was awake. He had his hand tucked up under his chin, a fact Bill found somewhat endearing. He also had a tendency to fidget in his sleep and it suddenly occurred to Bill that this might bother him if they slept in the same bed.

He shook his head. He didn't need to be thinking like that. He stood up, intending to get an extra blanket out of the closet to cover Saul up.

"Hey, Bill."

Bill froze. "Hey." He didn't want Saul to know he'd been staring at him. He had no idea when Saul had actually woken up. "How you doing?"

"Fine, considering." Saul sat up slowly, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"I ordered us some food," Bill said. _Us_ , yeah, like that was doing a good job of pretending he'd known he was there the whole time. He wasn't sure why he found the idea that Saul had crashed there on his couch so… no, unsettling wasn't the right word.

Bill turned to face him.

"I need to take a leak," Saul said.

That had killed the prospect of any kind of romance in the atmosphere.

"Go ahead."

As soon as the door shut, Bill went back over to his desk and placed the call.

By the time Saul got out of the head, their breakfast had arrived.

"Looks good," he said, sitting down across the table from Bill. It was his favorite, a full Tauron breakfast—buttered toast, tomato, hash browns, thick slabs of bacon, and eggs (scrambled for Bill, sunny-side-up for Saul). And coffee. Glorious coffee. Saul picked up his mug and sniffed it appreciatively. "Oh, _yes_ ," he breathed reverently.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Neither of them had had a real sit-down meal since before the attacks. Bill idly wondered how long they'd have fresh food. He decided to enjoy it while he could.

"So," he said, making Saul pause in the middle of shoveling hash browns into his mouth.

"Wha?" Saul chewed and swallowed.

"I didn't know you had feelings for me."

Saul snorted. "Yeah, well, you weren't supposed to. That was kind of the point."

"Come on, Saul," Bill said softly.

"I don't know what you want to accomplish here, Bill." Saul curled his upper lip. "You of all people, I thought I wouldn't take this crap from."

"That's not what I meant." Bill hadn't meant that part to come out as harsh as it had. Saul looked up in surprise. "I just want to make sure we're on the same page," Bill added quickly. "I don't want to misunderstand—"

Saul shrugged, looking down at his plate. "What's there to understand? I've been in love with you for thirty years, and I've always known it's not gonna happen. I just wanted to tell you because I thought we were going to _die_."

"But we didn't."

"Yeah, and now I'm just trying to keep things from getting awkward."

"I'd just never thought about this before."

Saul snorted. "And thinking about it's going to change something?"

Bill licked his lips. They were very dry. "You're my best friend, Saul. And I do love you—"

"Not this way," Saul cut in.

"Maybe not," Bill amended. "I just want to know where you're coming from."

Saul snorted. "Do I really have to spell it out for you, Bill?

Bill felt his ears burn. "No," he admitted.

"Then, can we drop it?"

"I guess."

"Thanks," Saul said sharply. He took an irritated bite of bacon.

They were both quiet.

"So, what do we do now?" Saul asked.

For a second, Bill thought he meant what should they do about their relationship. Or lack thereof. Then, he realized that Saul meant the Cylons.

"Keep running, I guess."

"To Earth?" Saul's tone was challenging.

Bill pushed his plate aside. "You don't believe in Earth?"

"I believe in Earth," Saul said. "I just don't believe you."

Bill frowned. For some reason, the comment stung.

"You'd think Earth being real would shake your atheism just a little bit," Saul went on.

Bill studied Saul. He knew he was religious. Not hugely so, but he did believe. He never gave Bill crap about his soul or anything, but he did sometimes pray or go to the temple. Bill wondered if Saul never discussed it with him because he was afraid Bill might start ranting.

The only time they'd had an argument about religion had been regarding Earth. Saul had made an offhand remark and, with twenty-eight years' hindsight, Bill knew his response had been rude. He wondered if Saul was remembering that now, or if he knew the incident had been the impetus that got Bill to name Saul Zak's godsfather when he was born a few years later.

Lee's godsfather, a relative of CarolAnne's, was basically in name only, but Saul had taken it upon himself to actually attempt to give Zak a religious education. Bill didn't think it had worked (he'd talked often as a child of going with Uncle Saul to the place with the candles where they left food by the lady's statue), but it had probably made him more respectful.

"You're right," Bill finally admitted. "Earth's not real—at least," he added hastily, holding up his hands against Saul's nascent protests, "I don't know where it is."

"People will believe you," Saul told him.

"I know." He wasn't sure how he felt about that, now a week later. He was starting to feel very guilty. "What they don't know can't hurt them."

"And your plan is?"

Bill folded his hands in his lap. "We'll just have to hope we find some other home."

Saul snorted skeptically. "Well, it's got to be out there anyway. Maybe we'll find it."

Bill thought it wouldn't be prudent to tell Saul that he felt actively searching for Earth was about as worthwhile as searching for the Apeman of Mount Echo

"You meet with the _President_ yet?" The way Saul said _President_ made it sound like he thought Roslin was playing a game of pretend.

"Not since Ragnar. I think we should have her tour the ship. Once we take stock of everything."

"Sounds fun." Saul got up. "Well, I guess one of us better get his ass to CIC, see what kind of damage 239 jumps in a row did to the old girl."

"She'll be fine," Bill said. "Back in a war, I guess?"

There was a hint of a smile on Saul's face. "Yes, sir, I guess we are."

**

Protocol made Laura uncomfortable. Or maybe it wasn't protocol, so much as Adama's version of protocol. She didn't have to be an expert on the military to realize that this wasn't the way things were usually done. He was ostensibly giving her a tour of the ship, but she had the strange sense that he had some ulterior motive.

He led her through the hangar deck where all the pilots and crew were standing at attention. It was silly, Laura thought, as she followed Adama down the line of troops. They stopped in front of Lee and Tigh.

"At ease!" Tigh barked.

Everyone seemed to relax as one. Laura wondered if they practiced being in synch like that.

"Colonel," she said curtly. Tigh jerked his head in acknowledgement. "Captain." Lee caught her eye and smiled. Laura felt a sudden rush of warmth. She shook her head. This was ridiculous.

"Shall we proceed?" Adama asked. Laura hoped he hadn't noticed her little smile.

"Certainly," she said.

She followed Adama, Lee and Tigh through various rooms of the ship. After a while, they all seemed to run together and Laura longed for an interpreter.

In the CIC (which Laura learned stood for Combat Information Center), Billy broke off to talk to Petty Officer Dualla (after a repeat of the welcome on the hangar deck), and when it came time to leave that room, Laura waved him to stay. Maybe they _would_ start having babies.

"That concludes the tour," Adama said, as they left CIC. "If you'll join us in the conference room, I thought we might talk. We should establish parameters for the military and the civilian government."

"Absolutely," Laura said.

Once Adama got going, Laura started to regret not having put more thought into this herself. She had a lot to learn about being President, and she was up against a steep learning curve, as William Adama had been commanding a battlestar for a decade.

Of course, she was glad to have someone so experienced in charge of the fleet's defenses, but she did wish she'd had a moment to consult with Lee beforehand.

She didn't mind letting Adama make the military decisions—she wouldn't have been able to chance doing that herself—but she did wonder if what he was telling her was completely true. She kept her eyes on Lee almost the entire time.

They were just negotiating the distribution of food, water and fuel when the intercom crackled. "Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh to the CIC," the young man's voice said.

"We'll pick this back up later," Adama said, as he and Tigh got to their feet.

"Of course," she said. "Whatever business you need to attend to comes first."

When they had gone, she sighed, slumping forward in her seat.

"Ma'am?" Lee said hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Lee," she said, surprised at how readily she'd used his first name just then. He didn't seem to mind. "I must confess I'm just a little overwhelmed, though."

Lee smiled thinly. "My father can do that. I mean." He paused. "I'm sorry."

"No, I want your honest opinion. Your advice. I know he knows what he's talking about, but I can't help but wonder…" She stopped and cast her eyes around the room as if there might be a hidden camera recording what she said. "I can't help but wonder if…"

"If he's taking advantage?" Lee suggested. He got up from his seat on the far side of the table and sat down next to her. "One thing I'll say about my dad is he's fair. Unless he's showing his favoritism," he added, seeming to realize that the juxtaposition meant nothing.

Laura leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Tell me about him."

Lee's face fell. "Madam President, I'm not sure that's—"

"Captain Apollo." She tried to choose her words deliberately. "I am looking for someone who is willing to help me make decisions based on their knowledge of the military. I'll be honest, I need some help here. While it's not that I don't trust your father…"

"No, I get it." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "I just wanted to warn you that he and I aren't exactly… close."

Laura had guessed this, though she refrained from commenting on it. "All I'm asking for is some advice. I want to know what I should say to him so that he… takes me seriously."

Lee opened his mouth, perhaps to say _He does take you seriously_ , when Laura stopped him, laying her hand over his. "This is a lot to take in," she said, "and he's had his job a lot longer than I've had mine."

"I think you're doing a fine job," he said to her. She smiled. He really was very sweet. Earnest, too.

"All I'd like is an advisor," she said. She noticed that he hadn't made an attempt to move his hand, and she tried not to let that fluster her. "Someone I _know_ I can trust. Your professional opinion."

They were both quiet for a moment, until Lee seemed to realize they were touching and drew back. "I'd be glad to answer any questions you have, Madam President," he said quickly. He stood up. "I ought to go find my father, make sure everything's all right."

Laura nodded.

"Feel free to let me know if you have any questions," he added.

"I will," she told him, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Lee replayed his conversation with Roslin over and over again in his mind. It was a bad habit of his, to reflect on interactions, looking for any possible hidden meanings, thinking of things he could have said differently.

He'd been lying in his rack, trying to catch a nap between shifts, but he couldn't stop thinking about his talk with Roslin in the conference room. He was surprised and honored that she'd asked him to take on an advising role. As much as he wondered if this was something he was qualified for, he'd be lying if he said he didn't like the prospect of working closely with her.

Lee frowned. But was he attracted to her?

At first, he had dismissed this thought as ridiculous. She was old enough to be his mother. She was the President of the Colonies. Even if he _was_ attracted to her, he had no chance of actually having a relationship with her. Their positions made it impossible.

The more Lee thought about how impossible it would be, the more he decided he wanted it. That was always the way, wasn't it? She may have been older than he'd have imagined a potential partner being, but she was beautiful.

It was more than just a physical attraction, though. He had seen the way she'd reacted in the first few hours and days after the attacks on the Colonies. She had displayed such strength and dedication to the remnants of humanity. Lee could tell she took her job incredibly seriously, even though she had probably never imagined she'd ever have to take it.

Lee smirked. There was also the way she'd stood up to his father, which he had to admire.

But of course, there was no way Roslin returned his feelings. She probably saw him as nothing more than a colleague. A younger colleague.

He thought once again about the way she'd laid her hand on his. For just a brief moment, it had seemed something other than professional.

Of course, that was probably just his imagination.

**

Bill was trying to read, but he found it impossible to concentrate. There was something, some worry, gnawing away in the pit of his stomach. Whenever this happened, he liked to look back and take stock of what it was. Usually, when he did that, even if the issue remained unresolved, it allowed him to at least regain his concentration.

He scratched behind his ear. Given the situation he now found himself in, there was no way he could pinpoint his worry. They had food, they had water, they had fuel. The constant attacks from the Cylons had ceased and they'd set up a CAP—Bill felt prepared to deal with further attacks.

So what was causing his discomfort? He laid his book aside. The meeting with Roslin had gone well. Bill wanted to work with her, but he also wanted to make sure she understood some things about the military.

The alarm that had cut their meeting short had turned out to be a false one, anyway, so that wasn't it. Bill stood and started pacing.

It hit him suddenly when he caught sight of one of the framed photographs on his bookshelf. Saul. Was Saul the cause of his nervy feeling?

But why?

He studied the picture. It was several years old, having been taken at the party some of their friends had thrown when Bill had been given command of _Valkyrie_. Bill and Saul had their arms around each other, both grinning.

Saul hated that picture, Bill knew, because it was the worst he'd looked when he'd been losing his hair—bald patches, and long scraggly bits, somewhere between red and gray. Bill liked it for his smile. Saul hated having his picture taken and his smile was usually terribly fake. This one was real, though, which was why Bill had it out.

Looking at it always made him feel better.

So, Saul was in love with him. He'd been in love with him when this picture was taken. Bill couldn't even remember the name of the date Saul had brought to this party. Fred? Frank? Or had it been that lady with the annoying laugh? When was the last time Bill had liked the person Saul was seeing?

The nervous feeling wasn't going away. Did _he_ love Saul? Of course, he was his best friend—but. Bill felt the back of his neck grow hot. He didn't like men.

Did he?

Well, sure, there'd been Derek, in high school, the friend's older brother Bill had thought was so cool (had had a crush on?) that he'd joined the school play because Derek worked on it and had completed a one-semester tenure as propmaster after he completely failed at acting.

But that hadn't been serious, had it? And in all the years since, there hadn't been another man Bill had felt that way about.

Except for Saul.

Saul who he spent all his time with, Saul who knew him better than anybody else.

He probably knew more about Saul, his quirks, habits and tastes, than he did about CarolAnne or his sons.

Bill crossed to his drinks cart and poured himself a glass. He needed to clear his head. Now, he was beginning to wonder if he'd _always_ been in love with Saul and just never noticed.

He thought about the leave he'd taken to take Saul to the All-Colony Championship pyramid game, which had made it unable for him to go home for Solstice with his family. He justified it to himself by remembering that Saul had been out of work and needed some cheering up. It looked slightly different in hindsight.

He was _always_ doing things for Saul—those weren't isolated incidents. Saul was like nobody else Bill had ever met.

"Okay," he muttered into his glass. "You're in love with him. How do you tell him without it seeming fake?"

Bill didn't have an answer for that.

**

Lee didn't get to see Roslin again for a few days, and he went to see her after the incident on the _Astral Queen_. He was exhausted after all he'd been through, but they had had a meeting scheduled and he wasn't going to miss it.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said. Her aide had told him that the President had moved to her living quarters at the back of the ship. Lee knew that meant he was very late and he wondered if he ought to have rescheduled for Roslin's sake. He felt awkward intruding on her personal life like this, though the thought that she was still willing to see him, even this late gave him a rush of pleasure.

"I'm sorry," he said, when he entered. "I know it's late and I—"

She looked up from her book. "Captain Apollo, I'm glad you could come." She patted the couch beside her, indicating that he should sit. "I heard about what happened today. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, ma'am," he said. He sat down hesitantly, heart pounding. She was still dressed for work, but she had clearly relaxed somewhat, because she had removed her shoes. Somehow, Lee found her bare feet very distracting. His ears felt hot. He hoped they weren't visibly red.

"That's good to hear. I heard some of your crew wasn't so lucky."

"We had one injury," he explained, thinking of Cally. "But we got everyone else out all right. The situation…" He stopped, suddenly realizing that what he'd done had probably not been what she would have wanted him to do.

"You don't need to worry about that." She put her book on the end table and Lee noticed that the author was one his father liked. "You were right. We do need to uphold democracy. We need to have elections."

Welcome relief swept over him. "Thank you, Madam President. For what it's worth… I'd vote for you."

She smiled. "That's wonderful of you to say. I'd be honored to have your vote." Then, she stopped. Lee's breath caught. He could tell she was about to say something grave and he had a sudden moment of panic that she could somehow sense that his attraction to her was inappropriate.

"I think it's time I was honest about something, Lee," she told him, using his first name again. He got a sudden rush of warmth when she did that. "There's something I've kept from many people."

Lee felt a prickle on the back of his neck. He could sense that this was bad news. "What is it?" he asked hesitantly.

"I have cancer," she said quietly. Then, a little louder, "It is terminal and I don't know how much longer I have to live." She spoke deliberately, as if she'd only recently come to terms with these facts herself.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Lee didn't know what to say. He was still trying to process this news. She'd said it was terminal. How terminal?

Something compelled him to take her hand and squeeze it. She squeezed back.

"Thank you, Lee," she said. "It's good to have someone who understands. I haven't been able to tell very many people."

Lee was almost afraid to ask his next question, but he had to. "Does my father know?"

"No. It's not that I don't trust him, but…" She paused. "I'm sorry. Whenever I talk about your father, I always feel like I come down too harsh on him."

Lee shook his head. "It's all right. He and I… haven't always gotten along. I'm sure he can be hard to work with." He knew it was petty, but secretly, he was glad Roslin had chosen to confide in him before his father.

"We'll manage."

That was when Lee realized he was still holding on to her hand. They both looked down at their clasped fingers, neither seeming to want to let go.

"Lee," she said.

He kissed her. It was impulsive, he knew, and probably wrong, but he wanted to do it and it felt right. After all, she had just trusted him with this huge revelation, even though what he had done on the _Astral Queen_ could have been construed as betrayal. And she hadn't let go of his hand.

He didn't have the courage for a long kiss; all it was was the lightest ghosting of his lips on hers. He pulled away quickly, but not before he saw that she had closed her eyes.

Suddenly, full realization of what he'd done hit him. "I should go," he said, jumping to his feet. "If you need anything, Madam President, just please… don't… don't hesitate to ask."

He was gone before she could say anything else.

**

Laura watched him go and then leaned her head against the back of the couch. She wasn't surprised he'd left in such a hurry. He had obviously acted without thinking, and it was understandable that he might be afraid of her getting angry.

They would have to talk about this. She had to tell him that she wasn't upset—quite the opposite in fact. But he had to know they couldn't act on these feelings. As much as she longed to be close to someone—it had been a very long time—she had the fleet to think about.

Then, there was the very subject they had just spoken about. Her cancer. She couldn't in good conscience take up with Lee with the knowledge that she would leave him alone in mere months. It was already hard enough to contemplate her own imminent death. She didn't want to get close to anyone just now and have the worry about their loss on her mind.

But firstly, she needed to let Lee know she wasn't upset.

Laura sighed and got to her feet. She didn't want to think about not making it to the elections. She had a responsibility to the fleet and its people and she was going to fulfill that responsibility right up until she was completely incapacitated and she needed to concentrate on that responsibility. She didn't have time for anything else.

Despite this, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely as she dressed for bed and missed the warmth of Lee's lips on hers.

**

When Lee woke the next morning at reveille, he desperately hoped what had happened the night before would turn out to be a dream. There was no way he could have kissed the President, was there? Absolutely not. It had to be a dream.

"You okay, Lee?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," he said dimly. "I'm fine."

She snorted. "Not like you to not spring out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn."

He sat up. At least the story hadn't spread. At least Roslin hadn't placed a scandalized call to his father. At least it wasn't written on Lee's forehead.

"Late night?" she prodded.

"It's nothing, Kara." He swung his legs out of bed and stood up. In addition to the possibility that he might get in trouble, there was the distinct possibility that he might no longer be welcome as Roslin's advisor. Why had he gone and blown it?

He moved through the day on autopilot, his mind completely elsewhere. He knew he was putting off the inevitable by keeping clear of any area where Roslin's summons might reach him. They couldn't pull him off CAP, so he offered to swap with Flattop. That gave him two shifts in a row in the cockpit, but at least, it gave him time to think in a place that calmed him.

When he got back to the duty locker, Kara was waiting for him.

"There you are," she said, sitting up. "There was a call for you. They want you on Colonial One."

"When?" Lee asked, hoping it would be too late to respond today.

Kara went back to her magazine. "They said whenever is fine. Just head over there."

Lee sighed. So much for putting it off.

**

Laura had been debating how best to talk to Lee. At first, she'd been planning to go the authoritative approach—at her desk, trying to look (and feel) like the President.

After dismissing her staff for the day, though, she had rejected that idea and had decided on the casual approach. The voice at the back of her mind said that this was what had caused the problems of the night before—that she had been too open, too welcoming. Despite that worry, the way she received Lee that night was almost exactly like the way she'd received him the previous night. The only difference was that she'd been too nervous to even try concentrating on reading.

When he did show up, her breath caught. Oh, she was being silly. She shouldn't be acting this way around him.

"I hope I didn't call you away from anything important," she said. He looked tired—his hair was rumpled and his flight suit was somewhat wrinkled. Why was she noticing things like this? She smiled at him. She shouldn't be doing that either.

"No, it's fine." He didn't sit, didn't move from the doorway. "I wasn't busy."

"We need to talk," she said, wanting to get those words out of the way.

"Yes," he said. He looked reluctantly and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

She was about to start the conversation, but Lee said suddenly, "Madam President, I apologize for my conduct yesterday. It was… unprofessional and I will completely understand if you should decide to…" He trailed off, swallowing hard.

"No, Lee, that's not it at all." She was surprised by how quick she was to say that—wasn't she supposed to be discouraging him?

He stopped, looking confused.

"What I mean is…" She didn't want to say anything wrong. She had to choose her words carefully. "Our duty to the fleet comes first."

At first, Lee seemed to look relieved. "So, you're not…"

"I'm not upset."

He relaxed visibly.

"Quite the opposite, in fact," she added, perhaps against her better judgment.

"Really?" He looked shocked.

"What I mean to say is…" She stopped, searching for the right words. "Whatever we might feel, we can't act on it."

"M-Madam President." Lee seemed to be struggling with the formal title given the circumstances. "I—"

"Please, Lee." She stood up and crossed over to him. "Don't misunderstand me." She took his hand, knowing full well that this might be a bad idea.

Full realization seemed to hit him. "You want this, too?"

"I wish we could," she said honestly.

"Why can't we?"

The question was so simple it surprised her. She opened her mouth to explain why, but she couldn't find the words. "Our jobs," she finally said. "The fleet…" She paused. "Your father."

Lee took her hand in both of his. "But… can't we try it? I mean… there's no harm in trying, is there? If we find that it's interfering with our duties… we can stop."

Laura blinked.

"Can't we?" He prodded. He cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, a sensation that went straight through her. It really had been a long time, too long, since she'd been close to anyone like this. Before she could stop herself, she was kissing him, and this time, he didn't pull away immediately.

In fact, he didn't pull away at all. Laura stopped them after several moments of kissing.

"Lee," she began.

"Mad— _Laura_." His use of her first name sent a jolt of electricity down her spine. "Why don't we try?" She was struck again by his earnestness and tried to tamp down the guilty feeling that he wasn't right for her, was too young for her. "Don't you think what we all need right now is a little… happiness." He seemed unsure of what to term this. "Something to take our minds off of everything, even for a little while?"

It was a good idea. Laura realized she had done very little to relax over the last few weeks. It was hard, with all her aids, to find someone she could really talk to. She had Elosha, with whom she had started bonding about spiritual matters, but there were other holes she had no one to fill.

"We can try," she said hesitantly. "But if it starts to look like a bad idea at all, we end it, understand?"

Lee grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

She couldn't resist kissing him. "Good. I'm glad you understand."

**

It took Saul a few days to notice Bill's distractedness.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked him one morning.

"Yeah." Bill was conscious of their position in the crowded hallway near the hangar deck. He didn't want to speak too freely when there were so many people around. There was a mixture of military and civilians—a civvie transport had just docked. "Why?"

Saul shrugged. "You just kind of looked out of it." He grinned and Bill's stomach flip-flopped. "But if you're okay—"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good." Saul drew the word out. "'Cause the last thing I need is you getting sick. Then I'd have to…"

"Stop!" Bill snapped. A civilian had caught his eye. "Saul, is that?"

"Frak me, it is." That Saul had the same reaction confirmed Bill's suspicions.

It was a Cylon. Another Doral, like the one they'd left on Ragnar.

"Call it in," Bill said. "Don't make a scene." Saul quietly dropped off to make the call, while Bill marched toward the Cylon. Maybe he didn't realize they knew about the other Doral, maybe he could catch him unawares.

Bill was conscious of the fact that he had a bomb for only a second before he was conscious of Saul grabbing him and throwing him to the deck, shielding him with his body.

Then, the explosion hit.

Bill was dazed for a second, though he didn't think he'd been knocked out. Everything came back slowly, the chaos, the people running back and forth, Saul's weight on him.

"Hey, get up. I'm okay," he said, giving Saul a shove. "We have to go figure out what happened."

Saul didn't respond.


	4. Chapter 4

"Saul? Saul?" Bill crouched over Saul's unresponsive body. At least he was still breathing.

"Sir? I'm going to have to ask you to move."

Woodenly, Bill stood to make way for the medics. He desperately wanted to follow the stretcher that took Saul away but he knew he needed to take stock of the situation. He had to remind himself that he was the Commander first, and whatever he was to Saul second. Whatever he was to Saul.

He closed his eyes, willing those thoughts away. He needed to concentrate.

"Sir?" Sergeant Hadrian appeared at his elbow.

"My quarters in fifteen minutes," he told her. "I need a private word."

She saluted and he returned it before heading for sickbay.

Doc Cottle pulled him aside as soon as he entered. "Three dead, fourteen injured."

"What about Colonel Tigh?" Bill asked quickly, hating how his voice shook.

"He's back here." Cottle led Bill to a bed in the rear of sickbay and drew the curtain aside. "We're keeping him sedated for now. He'll be in a lot of pain when he wakes up."

Bill felt a tightness in his throat when he saw Saul. He was lying on his side. Bill had seen some of the burn victims outside, had heard their screams. He hoped Saul wasn't suffering.

Ishay was applying some salve to his back. "The biggest worry right now is infection," she said. "We want to get some antibiotics in him and dress the wound."

Bill nodded absently.

"We'll do all we can for him," Cottle murmured. "He's better off than many. He should be okay."

"He saved my life," Bill said.

"He'll be fine," the doc assured him.

Bill emerged from the curtains in a daze.

"Sir?"

He looked up. Kara was in the next bed, sitting up. He had almost forgotten she'd be here, still laid up with her knee injury from when she'd crashed on that moon.

"Kara." He headed over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she said, looking down at her knee. She paused. "How is he?" Her concern surprised him; he knew she had no love for Saul.

"He'll be fine," Bill said firmly, repeating Cottle's words, unsure if he believed them.

Kara nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him."

Bill breathed a sigh of relief. There wasn't much Kara could do as a patient herself, but the sentiment meant a lot. "I'll be back," he told her.

**

The first thing Saul was conscious of was the pain. It felt like his back was on fire. How had this happened? It took him a few moments to remember—the bomb, pushing Bill out of the way, the heat. He must've blacked out.

He jerked up, yelping. "Bill?" He was in sickbay, in bed, isolation curtains drawn. The right-side curtain jerked and drew back. Starbuck was in the bed next to his. Wonderful.

"Calling for the old man?" she asked. "You just missed him."

"He's okay?"

"Perfect." She eyed him critically. "More than I can say about you."

Saul sighed and slumped back down, groaning as his back smarted. "Hate to think you're right about something, but gods frakking dammit, does that frakking hurt."

She winced sympathetically. "So, what happened?"

"There was a guy with a bomb." Her eyes widened. "Just acted instinctively—pushed Bill down. Guess I didn't move fast enough." He shifted, trying to find a position that didn't hurt. There _was_ no position that didn't hurt. The burn seemed to go from his shoulder blades to his waist. And it _hurt_. A lot. It was probably the worst pain Saul'd ever experienced in his life.

"You should stop rolling around," she told him. "You're gonna knock something out. Ishay doesn't like when you do that."

Saul glared at her, but he stayed still. There _were_ a number of things stuck in him in various places and he really didn't want to have some of them re-stuck.

"I'd offer to call the doc for you, sir, but there were a _lot_ of wounded." She paused. "A lot of them worse off."

"That's fine." Saul groaned and shifted again, disentangling his IV drip from his arm. "I'll live." He paused. "How many?"

"I don't know," she said. "Some deaths."

"Frak me," Saul murmured.

"I'll pass." She paused, seeming to notice that he was too tired for a reaction. "We're hearing rumors that it was a Cylon."

"Yeah." Saul rubbed his forehead. "It was." He sighed. "The Cylons look like us now."

Starbuck's eyes went wide. "No way."

"I expect it'll be all over the place now, so there's no harm in telling you."

It seemed to take a moment for it to sink in. "But if that's true, how can we tell human from Cylon?"

"We can't. That's the hard part."

"Frak."

"You can say that again."

**

Bill paced in his quarters. He hadn't been able to concentrate all day. He was worried about security on _Galactica_ , worried about the possibility of Cylon agents in the fleet, worried about Saul.

Cottle had called him earlier to tell him that Saul was awake, and Bill had wanted to rush down there to see him with his own eyes, but he'd known he couldn't. He had a job to do. Saul was in good hands.

However, that strategy hadn't worked. He'd even contacted Hadrian, hoping to get an update on the investigation she was organizing, but she had insisted that she was operating independently and would prepare a final report for him when she was finished.

That left Bill effectively without anything to occupy his mind. He could go to CIC, of course, but...

Saul was awake. He'd go to see Saul.

He headed down to sickbay, expecting Saul to be too out of it to talk. He didn't know whether that would make his decision easier or harder.

He knew that, though as a senior officer Saul had been accorded his own private seven-by-seven area, there was still no real privacy to be had in sickbay. It was probably unwise of Bill to do what he was planning to do right now.

But he couldn't get the image of Saul, lying unconscious (and, he allowed himself to think now, Saul could have been _dead_ ) out of his head. He _needed_ to say something. Suddenly, he knew how Saul had felt the day of the attacks on the Colonies, when he'd confessed his feelings to Bill.

They had nearly died again today and Bill now wanted to tell him how he felt. How he was now reasonably sure he felt.

Cottle noticed him as soon as he entered the room.

"You want to see the Colonel?"

Bill nodded and went where Cottle directed him. Saul's curtains were drawn and Bill peeked cautiously inside.

"Hey," Saul said. So he was awake. Bill was almost disappointed. He had been hoping he could say things to the unconscious Saul he wouldn't be able to say to him awake.

"Hey." Bill twitched the curtain aside and entered, trying to be nonchalant. There was a chair by Saul's bed, so he sat down. "How you feel?"

"Like I'm on fire." Saul was lying on his stomach, his hospital gown open at the back. He looked miserable. Bill felt a pang of sympathy.

"I wanted to thank you," he said, not sure what to open with. "You saved my life."

Saul snorted. "It was nothing."

"No. Seriously." Bill scooted his chair closer. "It means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well…" Saul looked embarrassed. He propped his chin up on his crossed arms. "It's about time I did something for you, all the crap you've done for me."

Bill smiled fondly. "You don't need to look at it like that. There's no debt you need to repay." He lifted his hand, wanting to take Saul's, but being unable to. "I did all that because I care about you."

Saul looked away. Bill felt a pang of disappointment. Maybe this was the wrong time. Maybe Saul wasn't in the mood. Maybe he was in too much pain.

Gently, he asked, "Do you want me to go?"

"No," Saul mumbled into his pillow.

Bill was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He wanted Saul to know how important he was to him, but he didn't want it to seem like he was being too influenced by Saul's confession the other day. He knew he was sensitive about it.

"Saul?"

"Mm?"

"Have you ever been… so convinced of something that you ignore any evidence to the contrary? But then when you think about it, you…" He stopped, looked down at his hands. He was being too obvious. But then again, wasn't this what he wanted? "When you think about it, you start to realize you really feel the opposite way?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Saul didn't even lift his head.

"What I'm saying is… Saul, look at me."

Saul propped his head up on his hand.

"Saul," Bill began. He felt nervous. "Ever since we met, you've been the most important person in my life, next to my kids." He licked his lips. They were very dry. "You were my best friend—I mean, you _are_ my best friend. And I was so sure that's just what it was. Until… until the other day. And then I started thinking about it."

Saul looked like he was going to get angry, but instead, he said, in a soft voice, "What were you thinking about?"

"That maybe…" Bill took a deep breath and laid his hands flat on his thighs. "All those years meant something more."

"Like what?" He was going to force him to say it.

Bill clenched his hands into fists. "Saul, I think I have feelings for you."

Saul heaved a sigh and flopped back onto his stomach. "Have you really thought about this, Bill?"

"I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for a few days now," Bill added. "And seeing you lying there today… I had to."

"Well, you _have_ been spacing out," Saul allowed. "I did notice that." He paused, examining his fingernails. "Just… I hoped my telling you how I felt wouldn't ruin it. I don't want to do anything to frak up what we have. Because." He smirked. "Bill, you know I have a tendency to frak relationships up. I do _not_ want to frak things up with you." His voice shook.

"I thought you wanted this?"

"Oh, gods, of course I do, Bill. I just… if we do anything about this… _if_." His voice was really shaking now. "I want to take it slow."

"Of course, Saul." Bill did reach out and take his hand. Saul allowed this. "We can go slow."

Saul looked down at Bill's hand holding his. Gingerly, he wrapped his fingers around the back of Bill's hand. "So. Are we going to do anything about this?"

"I am. I'm going to let you rest." Bill leaned forward to kiss Saul on the forehead, but Saul grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled Bill down so the kiss was to his lips. Bill froze for a second, feeling the warmth of Saul's lips against his. He wanted to do this properly, but it was an awkward position and they weren't in a very private place. The last thing he needed was Cottle or Ishay walking in on their first kiss, and _Starbuck_ was a few feet away.

He pulled back. "Can we wait until you're better for that?"

Saul looked sheepish, but he was smiling. "Okay. See you later, Bill."

Bill gave him a proper kiss on the forehead this time. "Sleep well."

**

"Laura?"

She lifted her head from her desk, slightly embarrassed to have him catch her dozing. She'd liked that he'd used her first name, though. "Oh, Lee, it's so nice to see you after today."

He smiled sheepishly. "I meant to come over earlier, but they were stopping everyone, asking questions."

She nodded. "That's perfectly understandable. I imagine your father would want to tighten security."

Lee took a seat opposite her. "There seems to be some concern that we have a traitor in our midst."

"A traitor?" Laura's hand flew to her mouth. "Someone in the military collaborating with the Cylons?"

"The tribunal is investigating," said Lee. He didn't look too confident of the effectiveness of such a body. "I'm more worried about the announcement about the Cylons. That they look like us now."

Laura sighed and took off her glasses. "Well, we had to do it. It wasn't right to keep something like this from the people."

"Well, at least it didn't cause mass panic. I agree with you that we need to keep people informed. I'd just hate to have this turn into a witch hunt."

"I know." She stood, stepping out of her shoes, and started to pace. She couldn't help but notice that, when she turned, Lee's eyes had been on her legs. "But I simply can't imagine that there are humans working with the Cylons."

"I know. It's a shock to contemplate." He stopped. "I mean, I know I haven't been on _Galactica_ very long, but my father has served with some of these crewmembers for five years! He would never place that much trust in a collaborator, much less a _Cylon_."

"But, still," she said, "maybe the investigation will point out improvements that can be made in security. There could be a Cylon anywhere in the fleet, posing as a civilian."

Lee nodded. "We should tighten security for inter-ship travel. Make sure everyone is supposed to be where they're going." He ran a hand through his hair, looking distressed.

Laura crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want to curtail peoples' freedom of movement."

"I know." Lee stood, rolling his shoulders. "Part of this is that we need to be seen doing something." He had a slight smirk. "You need to be seen doing something, Madam President. There's really no 'we.'"

"There's not?" She took a step toward him. Despite her somewhat-rumpled appearance, she couldn't help feeling a little sexy, a little adventurous.

"Well, I'm not acting in any official capacity." She was pleased to see he looked a bit flustered. "I'm an advisor, if you're planning on making actual protocol suggestions, you'd want to talk to—"

"Your father, I know." She put her hand on his arm. "But I _want_ to talk to you, Lee. I enjoy hearing your opinions. And," she added, with a laugh, "you serve as a good sounding board so that what I _do_ suggest to your father sounds halfway intelligent."

He cupped her cheek. "Well, I think you sound completely intelligent."

She laughed. "I appreciate that, Lee." She kissed him, quickly at first, in case it wasn't the right decision, but he pulled her closer, drawing her lips in to his. Her rational side was still reminding her that this was a bad idea, but Laura ignored it. She could take this moment with Lee. If it became a problem for the fleet, they _would_ end it.

**

Saul woke from his nap, trying to hold on to whatever scraps of dream he could. It had been a wonderful dream, the kind he hadn't had in years. A tender dream about Bill holding his hand, kissing him. Saul smiled. His dreams recently had not included Bill, so it was nice to have one.

Wait.

That wasn't a dream. A chill shot through him. It had been _real_. Bill had really… Saul sank down under the covers. Bill returned his feelings. It was almost too good to be true. Was he _sure_ it wasn't a dream? If Bill felt the same way, they could have gotten together years ago….

 _No, don't think about that_ , he ordered himself fiercely. He wasn't even sure this would turn out the way he wanted, that he wouldn't ruin his relationship with Bill, like he had ruined every single other relationship he'd had. They'd decided to take it slow, but Saul wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his hands off him. It was a good thing Saul was in sickbay. He didn't want to scare Bill away.

**

Bill sat at his desk, exhausted. Today had been hell—though not completely, he thought, remembering Saul. Saul was okay, at least. He squirmed a little when he remembered his confession.

It was almost too much to process. He'd come so close to losing his best friend and had gained a… a lover? Boyfriend? Bill was _way_ too tired to bother with labels right now. All he could think about was how good it had felt to kiss Saul.

The phone beside his desk buzzed, interrupting his thoughts.

"Chief Tyrol to see you, sir."

Bill sighed. He had expected this. "Send him in."

"Commander?"

Bill sat back in his chair and took his glasses off. "Chief. Have a seat."

Tyrol seemed to hesitate for a moment before following Bill's instructions.

"This is about Specialist Socinus, isn't it?" Bill was studying his glasses.

"Sir—"

"He lied under oath, Chief. You can't deny that."

"I know, sir. But he was only covering for me, sir."

Bill set his glasses down and rubbed his eyes. "He was covering for you because you were engaging in an illicit rendezvous with Lieutenant Valerii, even though you had been ordered not to."

"Yes, sir."

The corner of Bill's lips twitched. He had been engaging in an illicit rendezvous with the very man who'd ordered Chief and Boomer to knock it off. Who was he to tell him what to do? He realized, with a chill, that he and the Chief were in the same boat.

"He still lied. No matter what we've come to as a society and as a military, you know I can't permit perjury."

"I know, sir." Tyrol cast his eyes down. He had always known what Bill would say, but had wanted to make a good show of coming to his man's aid. That was an important quality, Bill thought.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

The younger man looked surprised. "He was covering for me. I thought…"

Bill pushed back his chair and stood, stretching, to get the kinks out. Being thrown to the ground this morning was starting to catch up with him. "The thing is, he shouldn't have had to. You're the most experienced noncommissioned officer on this ship. You should not, under any circumstances, be putting your men in the position where they have to lie under oath for you. Do I make myself clear?"

Bill hoped this wasn't being too hypocritical. He wasn't telling him he couldn't go on with Boomer. He was only saying to work out a way not to get into situations like this. Bill knew this wouldn't happen to him and Saul.

Tyrol seemed to get it. "Yes, sir," he said, nodding. He stood and saluted.

Bill saluted back. Tyrol headed for the door, then paused and turned back to Bill.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

Bill gave him a dismissive wave. He couldn't get a reputation for going easy on this kind of thing, though he supposed the way he'd lit into Hadrian had done enough for that. He yawned. A shower and bed sounded pretty good about now. He'd have enough to tackle in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Saul stayed in sickbay for a few more days, but after awhile, it started to drive him batty.

"I'm leaving," he said suddenly, when Bill was visiting him one day. They had been playing cards and Bill had to react quickly to gather them up before Saul kicked the blanket off and swung his legs out of bed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bill asked.

"Yeah." Saul turned around, looking for his clothes. He spotted a spare uniform on the other chair and went to put it on.

"Are you allowed to leave?" he asked. He tried not to stare as Saul pulled his hospital gown off revealing—well, everything. Bill hadn't yet done a lot of thinking about his and Saul's physical relationship—they hadn't done anything more than kiss hello and good-bye, and rather chastely at that. He looked away while Saul dressed, not feeling like they'd progressed to this point. He’d seen him naked plenty of times before, in the shower and things, but this seemed different somehow.

"Who's stopping me?" Saul asked, buttoning his jacket up. "You're the only one with any real authority over me." Bill snorted at that. "They let me pee on my own, they let me feed myself, and they've decided I don't need the happy drugs anymore. Long as I put this goo on my back, I should be fine. Better to free up the bed for really sick people." He pulled the curtain aside as he said this and seemed to be speaking directly to Starbuck.

She pointed at herself and mouthed _Me_?

Saul glared, turned on his heel and headed towards the door.

"How are you doing?" Bill asked her, stepping around Saul's bed and pocketing the cards.

"Fine," she said, sounding a little listless.

"It'd be nice to see you out of that bed, Kara."

She sighed heavily and let her magazine fall into her lap. Her face looked pained. "I'm just not ready, sir. This knee."

"I know." He knew it had bothered her previously and he felt bad about pushing her. Maybe she really wasn't ready.

And, there was that little voice in his head, suggesting he should go after Saul, make sure he was okay…

He reached out and gave Starbuck's hand a gentle squeeze. "Then, rest. Heal. I miss seeing you up and terrorizing the nuggets."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'll do my best, sir."

He absently patted her arm, then left.

By the time he found Saul, he was back in his quarters.

"Hey," he said, pushing the hatch open.

"Hey." Saul was sitting at his desk, looking wearily at the stack of reports. "Why didn't you bring me these while I was in sickbay?"

Bill shrugged. "I didn't want to trouble you."

Saul looked slightly annoyed. "I'm your XO, Bill. I want to keep on top of stuff."

"I briefed you. Kept you up-to-date."

"Plus, there's other stuff we need to talk about." Saul flipped the folder he'd taken off the top of the stack closed. "You know?"

"Yeah, I know." Bill scratched behind his ear. "How 'bout we have dinner together? I'll bring you something when I get off shift. We can talk then."

Saul nodded. "Sure. That works. Myself, I might take a little nap."

"And you were ready to leave sickbay how?"

Saul waved his hand dismissively at him. "Get out of here."

Bill grinned and left. He was expecting the President anyway. That was one meeting he wasn't exactly looking forward to.

**

Laura had been sitting in Adama's quarters for fifteen minutes, resisting the urge to browse through his library. That was the curse of being a book lover—she couldn't sit in close proximity to well-stocked shelves without getting up to browse.

Instead, she wondered what was keeping him. She knew he'd been hanging around sickbay lately—that had made it slightly difficult to evade him when she came to see Dr. Cottle. She didn't know how long she could last, only letting a select few know about her cancer, but she was determined not to show any weakness in front of Adama. It wasn't that she didn't trust him—they were certainly getting to be allies, and she had considered the possibility that they could be friends (then, there was the implications of her relationship with Lee to consider). But she felt this was something best kept quiet for now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the hatch opening.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Adama said. "I was just checking on Colonel Tigh. He's out of sickbay."

"Oh, good." Laura didn't have much of an opinion of the grouchy man but she knew he was an experienced officer whom Adama trusted (plus, Tigh being well meant she was less likely to encounter Adama in sickbay).

"It is," he agreed. He walked around to his desk and sat down heavily. Laura noted that he looked preoccupied.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked. "I could come back."

"No, no, it's fine." He pulled the folder closer and opened it. "Maintenance?"

"Yes," she said. "The captains of the civilian ships have been asking for help from _Galactica_ 's maintenance workers for weeks now."

"My deck crew's first responsibility is the maintenance of our fighters and Raptors. If we don't have those, Madam President, the condition of the civilian ships doesn't really matter."

"I understand that," she said calmly. "But I'm sure you can spare a crew now and then. Oftentimes, when my shuttle lands, I see people on the hangar deck who look like they could use something to do." She smiled.

Adama studied her for a moment, then picked up a pen and made a note on his file. "I'll see what I can do. We might be able to spare a secondary crew to do any major work that the civvies can't do themselves, with their own people."

"Thank you, Commander." Laura gripped her notepad tightly, suddenly overcome by the need to hold on to something. She prayed that the gods might not let her throw up on Adama. "Now, what's this about fuel?"

"We have fuel to last a few more weeks, but we do need to find tylium. It should be doable—it's a naturally occurring substance and we will likely encounter—or be easily able to find—deposits on uninhabitable planets or asteroids. It's an eventuality we'll have to plan for, but at this moment, the situation is not critical."

Laura blinked several times, realizing she had retained none of that. She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat himself a bit more slowly, when the edges of her vision went black.

**

When she came to, she groggily began to register that she was in sickbay; she recognized the bright lights and the curtains drawn around her bed. It took her a moment to remember why she was here—she'd fainted in Adama's quarters.

"Oh, gods," she muttered.

"Laura?"

She turned her head slightly and saw that Lee was sitting by her bed. "Please tell me that what I think happened didn't happen."

"Are you okay?" He leaned over her, looking worried.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a bit… confused. Where's your father now?"

"He was called away," Lee said, looking awkward. "So I told him I'd stay with you until you woke up."

Laura smiled. "I'm grateful to you for undertaking such a task."

He seemed to relax now that he saw she could joke. "It was no trouble at all, Madam President." He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to kiss her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right, really," she assured him. "I just felt a little light-headed. How long was I out for?"

"Not long. I think my father was just a little nervous about you, er, collapsing in his office."

She sighed. "That's hardly what it was."

She sat up, giving Lee a pointed look in the hopes that he would help her out of bed—not that she _needed_ help, but she didn't know where her shoes were.

"I should get Doc Cottle," he said, stepping away from the bed before she could enlist his help.

"Now, Lee, that's not—"

"It's a precaution." He leaned in close again, brushing a strand of her hair out of her eyes. "Laura, I—I worry about you."

She sighed again, torn between being flattered and being annoyed. She reached up to take his hand, trying to ignore the contrast of his young, strong fingers laced with hers. "Thank you," she said. "Maybe I've been overdoing it a little lately with the…" She stopped, not sure if she wanted Lee to know about the chamalla.

"I understand you don't want to let anyone else know," he said, clearly thinking she was just talking about her cancer. "But you do have to know when things get to be too much to you. Plus," he added, "if you go around fainting, don't you think people are going to notice you're ill?"

She shook her head, but she smiled to let him know she knew he was right. "What would I do without you, hm?"

He smiled back and kissed her again. "I will go get Cottle, though. Apparently, he's already had one patient escape today; I don't think he'd be very happy if you got away, too."

"All right, all right." She sighed dramatically. "I'm ready for my lecture. I really am fine, though."

"I believe you," said Lee. "I just want to make sure he knows, too."

Predictably, Cottle grumbled at her about overdoing it and about the chamalla. Laura knew he was right, but some part of her resented it.

Lee's concern was sweet, though, as he escorted her back to the hangar deck.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked.

"Yes, Captain, I am absolutely sure." She took a step back, trying to both prove she could stand on her own and to seem to keep her distance from Lee in public. "In fact, I'd really much rather get back to thinking about what I was discussing with your father. How much do you know about the fuel situation? I know it's not exactly a military matter…."

Lee shrugged. "I know some."

Laura smiled. "Then maybe you would consider meeting me later to discuss it."

Lee seemed to be struggling to hide his smile. "I would be happy to, ma'am."

"Well, then, I'll see you later."

**

Saul was still diligently going through paperwork when Bill came into his quarters with dinner.

"Okay, Colonel," he said. "You can knock it off for now. Time to eat."

Saul looked up and grinned. "Oh, just what I needed. Looks delicious."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "You mean me or the food?"

He hadn't been sure whether to pull out a comment like that, but Saul's grin widened. "Both. And you wanted to talk, yeah? We'll talk."

Saul picked up some of the folders on his desk and dropped them on the floor. Bill winced, but set the tray on the now-empty desk and pulled up a chair.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Fine, fine." Saul was already into his noodles. "No worse for wear, especially 'cause all I'm doing is sitting around today."

"Don't worry about it," Bill said dismissively. "You needed the rest."

"I appreciate it. And I'll be back to work tomorrow, I imagine."

"Good." Bill bobbed his head. "I've missed you in CIC."

Saul looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped.

"You said you wanted to talk."

"That's right." Saul looked down at his chopsticks. "It's been nice, these past couple days." He smiled at Bill, in that adorably earnest way he had. "I kind of wanted to talk privately about it, though. See what you were thinking."

"Okay." Bill rubbed his chin. "What were _you_ thinking?"

Saul smirked. "Tossing the ball back to me, huh? Okay, I'll bite. You said you wanted to try something, when I was in sickbay. You still… want to do that?"

"Yeah." Bill nodded. "I do." He reached out, then, to take Saul's hand across the desk, and received a squeeze in return. "I'd like to see how it goes and take it from there." He wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but he didn't care. They were on the run for their lives—now was the only thing that mattered.

Saul nodded. "Me too." He looked down at his dinner for a moment and then said, "I just know you haven't done this before, so I didn't want to… you know. Move too fast for you."

Bill smiled. "Saul, it's not like I'm some blushing virgin. I do want to take it slow, but you don't have to worry about it."

"I know." He let go of Bill's hand and sighed. "It's just… I'd love to do this; I just worry about frakking it up somehow. I always do."

"Don't say that," Bill said gently.

"Nah, 's true." Saul poked his noodles listlessly. "Every time I get in a relationship, it's always me. Don't know what it is I do, but I've scared a lot of people away, Bill."

"Hey. Look at me. C'mon." Saul looked up reluctantly. "You're my best friend, Saul. Have been for a long time. Not just that, but you're the best friend I ever had. A good friend and a good man to serve with. I can't imagine that you wouldn't be anything less than a great…" He stopped. "A great person to be in a relationship with."

"Aw, Bill." Saul reached up to cup his cheek. It was a far more intimate touch than they'd ever shared and Bill felt the heat climbing up the back of his neck. "This is why. _This_ is why." He stood, leaned across the desk and kissed him.

It was a much deeper kiss than the peck Bill had been pressing to Saul's lips every time he entered sickbay. For a wild moment, a voice in Bill's head was saying _"For frak's sake,_ Saul's _tongue is in your mouth!"_ but a moment later, he was kissing back, voice entirely forgotten.

When they broke apart, it was because Saul pulled back. Bill was struck by the way he looked, pink-cheeked and dark-eyed. It stirred something in his gut. _He was attracted to Saul._ He hadn't been as acutely sure of that before—he knew he had very strong feelings for him and wanted to be closer to him… gods, why did this all have to be so complicated?

"You didn't frak that up," Bill said.

Saul smirked, back to his old self. "Usually, I can get past the first date before stuff goes south."

Bill patted his shoulder. "So, this is a date?"

Saul spread his arms wide. "Of course. I always think dinner in my undershirt is gonna attract a guy."

Bill smiled. "I sure don't mind."

"Should've tried for you years ago." He stopped suddenly, wincing.

"What's wrong?" Bill asked quickly.

"Just my back, a little." Saul sat down. "It does kind of hurt, still." He sighed.

"Rest," Bill encouraged him. "I'll still be here when you're feeling better."

Saul nodded. "Think I will. Doc gave me some salve." He yanked open the top drawer and pulled it out. "Would you?" He looked somewhat sheepish. "Ishay always did it."

Bill reached for the tube and uncapped it. "I can't promise to have Ishay's touch."

"Mm, I'm sure you'll do." Saul stripped off his tanks. "This isn't that sexy."

"You're damn right," Bill muttered, catching a whiff of the stuff. It was foul. Despite that, he spread a liberal amount on Saul's back, noticing the way the muscles relaxed. "Now, bedtime."

"Yes, sir," Saul said obediently.

"Good boy." Bill kissed the top of his head and watched as Saul headed for his rack. "You need me to tuck you in?"

"I'll manage." Bill waited until Saul was under the covers before turning the light off. "Good night, Saul."

"Night, Bill."

Bill shut the hatch with a very satisfied feeling. They were making progress, slow as it was. He thought about their kiss and shivered. Progress was good.

**

Lee tried to study Laura discreetly, looking for any signs of her earlier distress. She seemed fine, but he was still worried. Cottle had said the medicine had been responsible, and Laura had promised to cut back, but it had still highlighted to Lee, for the first time, how sick she really was.

Why did she have to be so sick, when they'd only just met?

"Lee?" she asked gently.

"Sorry. Guess my mind wandered." He couldn't let her know how worried he was—she'd hate it. He could already tell, in the few weeks he'd known her, that she was fiercely independent and hated to be fussed over.

"I really am all right."

He smirked. "Was I that obvious?"

She squeezed his arm. "You're the only one I'll tolerate this from."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'll try not to do it anymore."

"It's understandable." She paused. "Right now, I'm just trying to… to manage it. I'm still getting used to the effects of the chammala. Certainly, I learned something."

"I know." He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. He wanted to move closer to her on the couch, but he wasn't sure if it would be welcome.

"I appreciate the sentiment." Lee was surprised to see that it was _her_ who decided to slide closer to him. He put his arm around her. "I think I'm done talking about tylium today."

"Me too," he said, into her ear. She shivered against him and Lee felt something tug at his stomach.

"Well, Captain Apollo," she murmured, tilting her head up to face him, "what did you have in mind?"

He reached under her hair to cup the back of her neck. "I thought we could work on a different project."

"What a coincidence." She smirked. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Are we alone?"

She nodded. "Yes, I told my staff to go, that if they wanted to help, they could let me rest." There was a slightly mischievous glint in her eye. "And Billy is over on _Galactica_ with Petty Officer Dualla."

"Oh?" Lee hadn't spoken much with her aide, but he knew that he had been seeing Dee. It was nice to see relationships forming in the wake of the attacks. _Like us_ , Lee thought.

"So, if you like, we can stay here, completely undisturbed." Her tone was unmistakably flirtatious and Lee's breath caught. Surely, if she wasn't feeling up to this, she wouldn't be the one suggesting it, right?

"Are you sure?" he asked anyway.

"Absolutely."


	6. Chapter 6

Lee woke in an unfamiliar position and when he opened his eyes, he didn't know where he was at first.

Then, Laura moved and it all came back to him.

For a moment, he tried to hold on to just this—the feeling of waking up with her beside him, of her body next to his. They had moved fast, he knew, but he didn't care. These weren't normal circumstances, not the old normal. 

He briefly wondered whether he and Laura would have had the same instant connection if they'd met before the attacks, if he hadn't been first introduced to her under fire and been able to see how she worked under pressure.

Laura made him feel amazing—he could still hardly believe that such an accomplished, _incredible_ woman would be interested in him. He had always felt somewhat clueless about relationships, always certain he was doing the wrong thing. 

He still wasn't positive he _wasn't_ doing the wrong thing, of course, but at least Laura was with him, so they were in it together. 

Beside him, Laura woke with a start. "Oh, Lee." She sounded surprised. "I didn't meant to fall asleep."

"It's okay." He slipped his arms around her and she moved closer. "I didn't either. Are you okay?"

"Yes." She smiled, looking calmer and kissed him. "We can't be doing this every night, you know."

"I know." He slid his hand down her side. "But since we're here…" 

The phone began to ring. 

For a moment, they just looked at each other, then she seemed to come to her senses. "What time is it?"

He checked his watch. "0530."

She sighed, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, sounding full of regret at having to get out of bed and leave him. She headed for her office, wrapping a robe around herself as she went.

Lee waited in bed while she attended to whoever had disturbed their sleep. He should probably get up, get dressed, but if this was nothing important…

"Lee?" Laura appeared in the doorway. Her expression was unreadable, but her tone brooked no arguments. "You need to get up."

He obeyed, looking at her quizzically. "What was that about?"

"That was your father." She wrapped her robe more firmly around herself. "He says they have a Cylon in custody aboard one of the civilian ships."

Lee shot out of bed and began dressing. "What else did he say?"

"The Cylon is claiming he's planted a bomb somewhere in the fleet, but he's not saying where." Laura was in full Presidential mode, dressing while she spoke. "It's another copy of the one we found in the armory—Leoben." She looked somewhat unsettled when she said this, but continued. "Your father is sending Lieutenant Thrace over to interrogate it."

"Kara?" Lee hadn't even known she was out of sickbay.

"Yes." Laura paused. "He was asking about you. You have to go back now. He _can't_ know you were here. It is far too late—or early—for us to be believed if we say we were having a meeting."

"I will." He smoothed his jacket, hoping it didn't looked too rumpled. "It won't happen again. I mean… I won't fall asleep." He stopped briefly to kiss her, and judging by her response, this close call hadn't put her off.

"We should go," she said. "I want to speak with your father in person."

**

Saul was awakened from a rather pleasant dream (something about eating strawberries with Bill on a beach on Gemenon) when the real Bill shook him awake.

"What is it?" Saul asked groggily.

"We have a situation." Bill looked grim. "Are you ready to go on duty?"

Saul sat up. "Yeah, yeah. Let me just… where's my jacket?" Bill handed it to him and Saul stood, putting it on. "Pants?" 

Bill steered him in the direction of them and began briefing him.

"Leoben again, huh?" Saul sat to put on his shoes and socks. "How many different kinds are there, I wonder? We've only seen, what… three of 'em?"

Something flashed across Bill's face, but he remained silent. "I feel very strongly that it's bluffing."

"Of _course_ it's bluffing, Bill!" Saul rubbed his face to see if he could get away without shaving. He could. "That's what they _do_ , they frak with your head."

"It's better to be safe than sorry, though."

"Right, right." Saul stood. "You ready?"

This is what he thrived on, he reflected, as he and Bill walked to CIC. Saul wouldn't have felt truly comfortable with a quiet life. His years as a civilian seemed like one big blur, mostly, except for the parts with Bill in them. He _needed_ to be in the military, preferably with Bill right beside him. 

"Any updates?" Bill asked Gaeta, who was standing with the phone pressed to his ear.

Gaeta shook his head and handed the receiver to Bill. "No, sir. Captain Thrace is still interrogating the Cylon and we haven't been able to detect the presence of a bomb on any ship so far."

Bill nodded.

"Captain Thrace?" Saul raised an eyebrow. "Thought she was still lying in bed."

Bill gave him a small smirk. "She decided she was willing to lend a hand in this situation."

Saul nodded. "Good for her." He at least felt good that he'd been able to get out of bed before Starbuck—maybe he wasn't such a decrepit old man after all.

The hatch opened and Lee walked in with Laura Roslin.

"What kept you?" Saul asked him. 

Lee blanched, but Roslin interrupted. "Tell me, Commander, are we anywhere close to getting it to talk?"

"Starbuck's good," Bill said. He pressed his knuckles against the side of the console, a nervous habit Saul had noticed years ago. "She'll get him to crack."

"I hope so," Roslin said. There was the slightest hint of a glance between Lee and Roslin, but Saul decided it was nothing. 

"We'll continue to scan the ships," Bill said. "I don't trust that thing as far as I can throw it."

**

Hours later, Laura lay alone in her darkened bedroom, mulling over what had happened that day.

It all played over and over again in her mind, in sequence. The dream. _Adama is a Cylon_. The Cylon rushing out the airlock, the same as her dream. 

_Adama is a Cylon_.

Her first instinct was to assume that the Cylon was bluffing. Trying to sow discord in the fleet. Adama couldn't be a Cylon. He'd fought in the first war, far before Cylons looked human. He'd been married, had a son. 

He had a son.

Who was also Adama. 

The Cylon hadn't specified which.

Laura got up and went into her office. It was late. Far too late to call Lee, wasn't it?

She hesitated. What was she planning to ask him, anyway? Are you a Cylon? Is your father?

No, she just wanted reassurance, someone to talk to who she didn't have to worry about how she appeared politically. She wanted to talk to Lee because she enjoyed his company, not just because he was her advisor. 

She thought back to what had happened the previous night and felt a rush of heat. That shouldn't have happened. She knew that in her head, but she desperately wanted it to happen again. Connecting with Lee, breaking down the last of the barriers between them felt so… freeing. It was very satisfying to know that she had someone she could count on, someone she could confide in, when otherwise she was alone. 

Laura leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands. She couldn't call him over. Not two nights in a row. Not that she expected him to _want_ to stay the night two nights in a row. 

Sighing, she pulled a file closer to her so she could read it. The tests. Baltar's tests. Adama would have to go first. She'd go over to _Galactica_ first thing and talk him into running Adama's test first.

**

"Well, that was a miserable waste of time," Saul said, unbuttoning his jacket and leaning back against the couch. "Thanks," he added, when Bill handed him a drink.

"You deserve it," he said, sitting down on the coffee table. Their knees touched and Bill fought the urge to reposition his leg. This was good. It felt good. "First day back on duty."

Saul snickered. "If I ever doubted how you felt, this would cement it." 

Bill looked up. "Why?" 

This got a grin. "You were worried about me."

Bill felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. "Not any more than usual," he lied.

"No, don't be _embarrassed_." Saul smirked. "I like it."

Bill felt himself relax. He let his knee rest firmly against Saul's thigh. "I just was thinking about you, that's all. Especially when that Cylon was around. Shelly Godfrey."

"Yeah?" Saul looked intrigued. "I read your report."

"Didn't put everything in the report." He paused. "She tried to seduce me."

Saul threw his head back and laughed. "A Cylon tried to get you in bed? How far'd she get?"

Bill felt his face burn and he looked down at his drink. "I knew something was up right away."

"Good." He sounded very satisfied. 

Bill looked up. "You jealous?" He felt his lips twitch.

Saul scratched the back of his neck and tried to mask his embarrassment by taking a swig of his drink. "Maybe," he admitted. 

Bill grinned. He set his glass down on the table and slid over to join Saul on the couch. He wasn't sure why he was acting so confident but he was feeling a sudden burst of courage.

"You like that I'm jealous?" Saul asked. 

"Maybe. A little." Bill kissed him. Saul shifted to get rid of his glass, then deepened the kiss. It felt good after spending the whole day looking for a bomb that wasn't there, to be able to relax and kiss Saul. 

This was the longest stretch of kissing they'd had, and when they broke apart, Bill could feel his heart pounding. 

"It's good to have you back," he said, reaching up to touch Saul's cheek. It still felt odd touching another man, but he liked the feeling of the stubble under his fingers, liked touching Saul this way. Bill was surprised by how much Saul's time in sickbay stayed with him, how often he thought about how close he'd come to losing him. He still felt somewhat giddy about how quickly their relationship had changed. 

"Good to be back." Saul kissed him again, slowly, this time. "Though I wasn't gone for that long, you know."

"Mm," Bill murmured. "Seemed like a long time."

They kissed for a while longer, the desperation of earlier turning into long and lingering kisses. 

"This is nice," Saul told him. "I'm glad we can do this."

"Me, too," Bill agreed, letting his arm slide around Saul's neck, before pulling him into another kiss. He wasn't sure where he wanted this to go tonight. Sex? He and Saul would have to talk about that, but he didn't want to spoil what they were doing. 

Saul's hands were exploring his back and shoulders, so Bill let his own hand trail lower, too. Saul winced.

"You okay?" Bill asked, pulling back.

"Yeah, yeah." Saul frowned. "Still stings a bit, though." 

"Sorry." 

"No, don't worry about it." Saul reached for his drink again. "I do think it's time to take a break, though." 

"Sure." Bill couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, though Saul didn't move away. In fact, he let his head droop slightly onto Bill's shoulder. "Feeling tired?"

"Yeah." Saul drew it out, an indication that he really was tired.

"You wanna sleep here?" It just slipped out—Bill hadn't actually planned on asking, wasn't even sure what the answer would be.

"Do you mean _sleeping_ or… sleeping?"

Bill chuckled. "I was thinking about sleeping."

Saul gave him a playful swat. "Bastard." 

Bill kissed the top of his head. "Sure, we can sleep together." It felt weird saying it. Weird and good. "Sleeping, I mean."

"Good." Saul took another sip of his drink. "Still early, though. You still have those old board games in your closet or did you finally take them down to the rec room?"

"No, I still got 'em."

Saul looked up at him. "Could go for a round of checkers." 

They played one-and-a-half games before Saul proclaimed himself ready to hit the hay (Bill suspected this may have been because he was down to his last man). 

It felt suspiciously like the early days of his marriage, the way they took turns in the head. It was weird to think that he and Saul hadn't even had sex yet and here they were, acting like Bill had with his wife. He was reading in bed when Saul came out of the head and started undressing. 

CarolAnne had always done that. Self-consciously, Bill laid his book aside and took his glasses off. 

"This is a little backwards, isn't it?" he said.

"What?" Saul unbuttoned his jacket and draped it over Bill's desk chair.

"Never mind."

"We're going at your pace, Bill." Saul stepped out of his pants. "Figured you weren't ready to… you know. With a guy."

Bill shifted. "Maybe not. Maybe we ought to start small." 

"We can do that." Saul approached the rack and stopped, as if waiting for permission to get in. 

Bill lifted the sheets. "Maybe another night. I thought you said you were tired."

Saul smirked and climbed into bed. "It was worth a shot." 

It took them a few minutes to get comfortable. Bill had never had anybody in his rack with him and Saul seemed to want to tangle their legs together.

"'S comfortable," he muttered, when Bill called him out on it. "I've always done that." 

"Fine, fine." Bill shifted, slipped his arm under Saul. "How's that?"

"That's good." 

They lay there quietly for a few moments. 

"Good night, Bill," Saul said sleepily.

"Good night." 

They kissed again and Saul was asleep a few minutes later. 

Bill stayed awake, though, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the ship and Saul's breathing. For the first time in a long time—maybe not since those early days with CarolAnne, a feeling of contentment washed over him. Yes, this was very nice.

**

"Good morning," a voice whispered in Bill's ear.

"Mm." Bill didn't open his eyes. "G'morning."

"You slept right through reveille." Saul kissed his lips and Bill kissed him back, eyes still closed. 

"Morning breath," Bill said, opening his eyes.

"Sorry." Saul grinned like he wasn't sorry, though. Bill didn't mind all that much. 

He yawned. "You take the head first. I want to get a few more minutes." 

"You must be tired," Saul said, climbing out of the rack. "When we shared a bathroom before, you wanted to get in their first before I messed it up." 

Bill sat up. "You had hair then. You _shed_." 

Saul snorted. "I'm sure I still 'dribble water everywhere,'" he said sarcastically, quoting one of Bill's complaints when they'd been on shore leave together.

"If you're going to be sleeping here, you're going to be cleaning up after yourself."

Saul gave him a casual wave and shut the hatch.

Bill drifted back into a light doze, but this was interrupted by a pounding on the hatch. He sighed. Someone must have come during shift change. He got out of bed and put his robe on.

The pounding increased. "I'm coming," he growled, though whoever it was couldn't hear him. The last thing he needed was for it to be the President. Or Gaeta. He couldn't face Gaeta this early. 

He yanked the hatch open. 

"Hello, Bill," Ellen said.

Ellen. 

Ellen Tigh.

Bill rubbed his eyes.

Ellen was standing right there. 

"Hi," he managed. She was _alive_? She couldn't be. They'd searched all the ships' passenger manifests for crew family members… they'd have hit on Ellen if she was on one of the ships. 

She pushed past him into his quarters and he shut the hatch automatically. 

"Saul wasn't in his quarters," she said. "Do you know where he is?"

Bill was still dry-mouthed. "Yes," he said, which was a stupid answer.

The water in the head was no longer running. Saul would be coming out soon. Should he tell her? Did it even matter? She'd find out in about three seconds. 

"Well," she said, turning to face him. "Where is he?"

At that moment, the hatch leading to the head opened and Saul walked out, stark naked. Bill tried not to think about how he looked, still damp from showering. 

"All yours, Bill," he said. "And you'll see I cleaned up after—" He froze, mid-step. "Ellen?"

Ellen, Bill and Saul all stared at each other for a long moment.

"Oh, I see." Ellen smirked. "I see what's going on here." 

"Ellen," Saul repeated. "I can't believe it. _How_?" Bill couldn't look at his face, didn't want to see the expression he knew he'd see there. Ellen was alive.

He was surprised at how… disappointed he felt. He certainly wouldn't have wished her dead, but he could feel a nervous feeling crawling into the pit of his stomach. He was going to lose Saul. Now, after they'd just gotten together…

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't you put some clothes on, Saul, and then I'll explain things?"

"I should give you two time to catch up," Bill blurted. They both stared at him, as if they'd forgotten he was even there. Reluctantly, he went to gather some clean clothes and went into the head. He'd dress quickly and get out of there. He felt bad enough, given the circumstances, that about the last thing he wanted to do was listen to Saul and Ellen's conversation right now.

It was always the same. One of them would do something to piss the other one off. They'd break up. Then, the next time Bill and Saul were in port, Saul would call Ellen and they'd make up. This had been their longest and most extreme such period—two years, including a separation—but Bill had no indication that this wouldn't be the same as the other reunions.

After all, the world had ended. They'd probably both forgotten about whatever argument had sent them down this road (it was Bill, actually, and how Saul had passed up his early retirement to stay with him on _Galactica_ ) and the only different factor to this reunion was Bill, too.

He sighed and buttoned up his jacket. He had to get out of here, get to work. Stop wrecking his best friend's marriage. 

But how could she still be alive? That thought was worrying away at his mind. She hadn't come up in the search… Why had she waited so long to come over to _Galactica_? 

He opened the hatch to find Saul and Ellen on opposite sides of the couch. "Help yourself to coffee and breakfast," Bill offered her. "I'll be in the CIC. If anything comes up, I'll handle it." 

"Thank you, Bill," Ellen said coolly. Apparently, they were making a point of not saying anything while he was in the room.

Bill didn't risk a look back at Saul and left.

Frak, he hadn't brushed his teeth. That would ruin his whole day.

**

Laura was on her way to _Galactica_ 's lab to speak with Baltar when she saw Adama. He was standing in front of the hatch to his quarters, straightening his collar and smoothing his hair.

"Good morning, Commander," she called to him.

He looked at her and for a moment, looked dazed. Then, he seemed to regain his composure. "Good morning," he said. "What brings you to _Galactica_?"

She smiled. "I was going to see Dr. Baltar, actually. I wanted to see what progress he's made with the tests."

"So was I, actually." He came down the steps to join her. Was that a smirk on his face? Oh, he could be infuriating. How had he produced Lee? "There's a candidate for testing I'd like to make sure is at the top of the list."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Is it me?" 

"Well, you're at the top of the list." He looked distractedly down at one of the crates they passed. "Right behind somebody else."

What was he playing at?

"Yourself?"

He laughed and then stopped suddenly, an odd grin on his face, as though he had just realized she wasn't joking. "Why?" 

"Oh, I just thought that you and I… given our positions… ought to ruled out _immediately_. I'm willing to be tested second."

"And I'll go third," he said. "But there's someone else who needs to go first."

" _Who_?" Lee aside, her suspicions were rising by the minute. 

Before Adama could answer, an alarm started to blare. 

"Excuse me," he said, and he turned down the hallway to CIC. 

For a moment, Laura considered going with him, then decided to continue on to the lab, silently thanking the Cylons for the unexpected opportunity.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ellen," Saul murmured. "You're… alive." Gingerly, he reached out to touch her arm. She didn't react to him. Well, he didn't blame her. Coming to see him only to find him just out of bed with Bill. Saul pulled his hand away and tried to recover by reaching for the coffee pot. He poured them two cups. "How?" he finally managed.

She accepted the cup he offered her. "I was at the spaceport on Picon. It's all fuzzy after the Cylons hit. The next thing I knew I was on the _Rising Star_. Someone must have put me on a ship…" She trailed off, looking haunted. "I could have died, Saul."

"I'm glad you're okay," he said.

"Are you really?"

"Ellen…"

"You seemed to be getting on pretty well without me," she went on. "I'm sorry I spoiled things for you and your boyfriend."

Saul set his mug down with a thunk. "Ellen," he said again. He was trying to compose himself. He wasn't sure what exactly his objective here was. He still couldn't quite believe Ellen was alive. But he needed to explain about Bill. "Why didn't you come over here before?"

"I was _unconscious_ ," she said sharply, "for _weeks_. And if you think it's easy getting transport, you clearly haven't left _Galactica_. And then when I finally get here, I find out my husband's been cheating on me…"

"I thought you were dead," Saul snapped, which he realized was the wrong thing as soon as he'd said it.

"Oh, so you just _couldn't wait_ to jump into bed with another man as soon as I'd died?"

An alarm sounded and Saul resisted the urge to look at the monitors on the wall. He could have kicked Bill for telling him not to come to CIC unless summoned.

"It's not like that and you know it. We were separated for two years on top of that."

"So what are you saying?" She looked wary, and Saul felt his heart begin to beat faster.

What _was_ he saying? Ellen was alive. He and Bill were together now, but Ellen was right here. 

He remembered the last big blowup they'd had, where he'd stormed off after Bill. That had gotten him kicked out and in the two years since, he'd nearly resigned himself to the fact that he and Ellen probably weren't going to get back together. 

"Saul?" she prompted. 

"Look," he said. He took a deep breath and steepled his hands. "Ellen." 

She crossed her legs. "How long has this been going on?" she asked. "Because I know you've always had that little crush, Saul, but I didn't mean the part about your lover literally."

Saul shifted. "Just since the attacks, actually."

"Well, congratulations," she said. "I had no idea he felt the same way you did."

Saul rubbed his chin. "Yeah, well, neither did I."

"So where should I send the wedding present?"

"I understand you must be upset…"

"Upset?" Her voice was rising. "Upset? Saul, I wanted to try again. I came over here ready to start clean and then I find you and Bill…"

"Oh, like you never had other guys." 

"Not when you wanted to start again."

Saul stood up and crossed over to Bill's drinks cart. He knew it was early, but he needed something. He poured two glasses and stalked back over to the couch. She accepted her drink without a word.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said. He took a swig. "But it's been _two years_. If you wanted to try again, why now? You had two whole years and not a word…"

She looked down at the floor.

"Hey, it's my fault, too," he went on. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, and I'm sorry I never called you. It's a two-way street and I… sure wasn't pulling my weight, either. I could have been a better husband. "

She nodded. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It was just… after the attacks and everything… things _changed_ , Saul. I just… I _knew_ that I really meant it this time."

Saul sighed heavily. "I know. Because that's what I told Bill. Things changed. Had to get it off my chest. So I told him how I felt and he… well, it took a bit, but he wanted to try something."

They both sat, drinking in silence, for several minutes.

"Are you happy?" she asked suddenly. "You looked happy. This morning, when you came out of the bathroom. You were smiling. You're happy being with him."

Saul shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's only been a little while, but… yeah. I'm happy."

"I'm glad. At least you're happy."

"Oh, Ellen." He set his drink down. "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"What? You wish I wasn't upset that you're leaving me?"

He sighed. "No, no, I understand you're upset. Can't really begrudge you that." He paused. "But I do…" He swallowed hard. It felt weird to say it first to Ellen of all people, but he needed to say it. "I love him."

She was quick to respond to that. "More than me?"

This threw him. He couldn't say that, couldn't say that he did love Bill more. He'd loved Bill longer, yes, had waited longer for him. His and Ellen's courtship had lasted just a few months—weeks, even, before they'd gotten married in a fit of spontaneity. But he'd loved Bill for thirty years… 

"No," he said softly. "Not more. Just… different. And now that I've got a chance with him, I just… I have to take it." He hated how wobbly his voice was as he said this. He drained his glass and set it on the table. The burn at the back of his throat helped somewhat.

Ellen was watching him, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed and said, "I suppose I'm the last one to object if you want a little break, Saul." She ran her hand over his chest, pausing to toy with his top button. "I have missed you, though." She leaned in to kiss him, and he couldn't help himself from kissing her back. It brought back a flood of memories, of the time when they'd just met and he could lose himself in Ellen to relieve the ache of pining after the newly-divorced (and uninterested in dating) Bill. 

Bill.

Saul pulled back, feeling his pulse quicken. He and Ellen stared at each other for several second before she said, "You really are serious, aren't you?"

All Saul could do was nod.

"Well," she said briskly, "I know the drill. I can certainly amuse myself while I'm waiting around for you. I haven't even _been_ over to Cloud Nine yet, and I hear that's amazing."

Saul resisted the urge to tell her that she didn't have to wait for him—if Bill would have him, he was planning to be with Bill… well, for as long as the Cylons would let him.

Ellen got to her feet and made her way toward the hatch. "I would like to use your quarters if you don't mind," she was saying. "It would be nice to have a base here on _Galactica_." 

"Sure, sure." Saul was beginning to get distracted. It had been a while since the alarm ended and he would have appreciated an update from Bill. He needed to get to CIC himself, it seemed.

"I'll see you later." She kissed him on the cheek and left, leaving Saul to slump back onto the couch, feeling very worn out for such an early hour. He needed another drink.

**

Laura found Baltar in his lab, staring into space.

"Hello, Doctor," she said, trying to sound casual. 

Baltar jumped. He really was going to give himself a heart attack one of these days. "Madam President!" he said. "What brings you here?" 

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I wanted to check on your progress with the Cylon tester. Whose are you running first?"

Baltar, looking addled, glanced down at the list in front of him. "Oh, it seems to be Commander Adama's."

She smiled and turned to go. "Perfect. Test away."

**

Bill strode into CIC, ready to face whatever was out there. He needed to do his job; he'd worry about Ellen and Saul later. 

"What is it, Mr. Gaeta?" he asked.

"Lone Cylon Raider, sir. Apollo got him." 

Bill put his hands behind his back and looked around. "Just one?"

"Just one, sir." Gaeta looked at his monitor again. "Probably a scout ship, but he never got our position back to the Cylon fleet."

Bill frowned. Well, there went his distraction.

"Was… that okay, sir?" Gaeta was looking at him funny.

"Yeah," Bill said. He was still working the idea of Ellen over and over in his mind. He needed to find out where she'd come from. "You have the deck, Mr. Gaeta."

**

The civilian shuttle Ellen had come over on revealed her ship of origin—the _Rising Star_. She'd been given medical treatment and they confirmed they still had a blood sample they had used to run some tests.

Bill thought about going to tell Saul he was leaving _Galactica_ , going about this the official way, but somehow, his feet carried him down to the hangar deck without doing that.

"I'm going to borrow a Raptor, Chief," he said, not even waiting for a response. 

"O-Of course, sir," the Chief said, looking more confused than anything else. "You need a pilot?"

"No." Bill stepped up onto the bird. "That's not necessary." He wanted to keep this quiet and the quieter he kept it, the less likely it was to reach Saul before Bill could explain it himself, in private, hopefully once they'd figured out where they stood. 

He didn't know what to hope for. It had been two years, but Ellen had always had this _hold_ over Saul. They'd never had a separation this long before, but every time they'd been apart before, it had only taken him one look at her before it was like nothing had happened, them both promising things would be different. Then, they'd retire together with the bottle, leaving Bill by himself at whatever bar they'd agreed to meet at.

He frowned as the memories rushed back. He supposed he _had_ been jealous, even back then. He sighed as he piloted the Raptor out of _Galactica_ 's airspace. No use dwelling on it now, he supposed. He was likely to return to _Galactica_ to find them wrapped up in each other like old times. He took a deep, steadying breath as he remembered waking up with Saul that morning. Maybe if they'd moved faster, gone further… 

He shook his head. Nothing he could do would change things. He could only move forward and he needed to set his mind at ease about something first.

**

Once he'd fortified himself, Saul went to CIC to check up on Bill. He wasn't there.

"Well, where the hell is he?" Saul barked at Gaeta, feeling his agitation rise. He hadn't had a good start to the day and he definitely didn't need any more trouble. 

"I don't know, sir." The younger man looked nervous and somewhere in the back of his mind, Saul knew he shouldn't be too hard on him, but godsdamnit he was _worried_. What did Bill think now that Ellen was back? He really needed to talk to him as soon as he could. He wasn't even going to let himself consider the possibility that something had happened to Bill.

He shook his head firmly. No.

He was just about to leave CIC when the alarm started to bleep.

"Dradis contact!" Gaeta shouted. "One Cylon raider."

Saul looked around, as though expecting Bill to appear out of nowhere. "Where the frak is the old man?"

**

Bill drummed his fingers irritably on the control yokes of his borrowed Raptor. Apparently, another Raider had appeared and here he was waiting in _Rising Star_ 's landing bay for the all clear. If it was another lone bird like earlier, Bill trusted his crew to take care of it like they'd handled the first one, especially if his absence was noticed and Saul took command. 

Mostly, Bill just wanted to get back over there to drop off his blood sample.

It wasn't that he _really_ thought Ellen was a Cylon. He definitely wasn't doing this out of any kind of… jealousy… or anything like that. 

But it definitely paid to be cautious. All of _Galactica_ 's crew had had to submit blood samples, and it only made sense that spouses of high-ranking officers should be made to do the same.

The comm line crackled. "You're clear, Husker," the voice said.

"Finally," Bill muttered.

When he touched down on _Galactica_ , he barely acknowledged Cally when she came up to him for the postflight checklist. The sooner Baltar could start with those tests, the better.

When Bill opened the hatch to the lab, Baltar jumped two feet. 

"Commander!" he exclaimed. Bill didn't like that distracted look on his face. He didn't want to think about what he'd just interrupted. 

"Doctor," he said, giving Baltar a curt nod. "How are the tests coming?"

"Oh, well, you see President Roslin was just in here asking me the exact same thing, coincidentally." Baltar made a great show of shuffling papers around on his lab table. "The tests are coming… quite well, actually. It's a very time-consuming process, but I assure you it's… it's certainly coming." 

Bill frowned. He was certainly skeptical of that. He withdrew the vial from his pocket. "There's one more sample for you," he said evenly. "Make it priority one."

Baltar frowned. "You see, Commander, President Roslin has just asked me to…"

"Priority one," Bill said and turned to go.

He hadn't taken two steps out of the lab before he ran right into Lee.

"Dad!" Lee exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

Bill frowned. Surely he hadn't been missed that much?

"The XO's looking for you," Lee went on. He was still looking at Bill in puzzlement. "What were you doing in the lab?"

"I needed to speak with Doctor Baltar," Bill said. "Thanks for letting me know Saul's looking for me." He pushed past Lee, his stomach once again a bundle of nerves. 

Thankfully, Saul was in Bill's quarters. There was no sign of Ellen and Saul had a half-finished drink in his hands. 

"Hey," Bill said, trying to test the waters.

"Hey?" Saul looked mad. "Where have you been?"

" _Rising Star_ ," Bill said. 

Saul looked baffled. " _Rising Star_? Why?" 

Bill wasn't sure how to answer that. He sat down on the couch and tentatively put his hand on Saul's knee. He didn't push it away. Good sign. 

"I just wanted to talk to the doctor there," he said. "About Ellen."

Saul's head bobbed in acknowledgement. 

"How did it go?" Bill didn't need to clarify what 'it' was. Saul slumped against him, burrowing closer when Bill put an arm around his shoulders.

"It went okay." Saul's voice was quiet. "She thinks this is still like it was before, so I don't know. But I told her about us."

"Good." Bill kissed Saul's forehead, feeling relief wash over him. Saul was in a sulky state, which Bill would need to coax him out of, but at least they were still together. "I'm sorry for running off on you earlier."

"It's okay." Saul tilted his head up so Bill could kiss his lips. "I'm glad you're back."

Bill knew the professional thing to do would be to talk about these lone Raiders that had been jumping in, but he couldn't resist Saul in his arms. He cupped Saul's cheek, drawing him into a deeper kiss. Business would just have to wait.

**

Laura was just about to go to her shuttle when Lee approached her, looking breathless.

"What's the matter?" she asked, trying not to let her face show what a pleasant surprise she thought this was.

"My father," Lee said and despite herself, Laura's heart sank a bit. She had been hoping Lee wanted to see her on more than official business. "He's acting strange."

Laura frowned. He really did look concerned. "Strange, how?"

Lee cut his eyes to the side to see if there was anyone else in the corridor. "Can we talk somewhere private? Here, I mean, not on _Colonial One_?"

"I suppose," she said. "If you have somewhere in mind."

"I do." With his hand on her elbow, he led her around the corner to the currently-empty pilots' ready room. When they entered, he removed his hand and she missed it instantly. She was about to say something when Lee started talking without preamble.

"He disappeared today." Lee looked like the implications of all this were just starting to sink in. "He was off-ship for a couple hours and nobody knows where he went. The Chief says he just took a Raptor; didn't give any kind of flight plan or anything."

"But he's back now?" Laura sank into one of the seats in the front row. "Have you seen him?"

Lee nodded.

"What did he say?"

"Not much." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "He basically gave me the brushoff." He paused. "It was right outside the lab. He'd been to see Baltar."

Laura pursed her lips. "I wonder if he's tested your father's sample yet."

"Hrm?" 

"I had Doctor Baltar put your father's blood sample ahead of anyone else's."

Lee's mouth opened. "You mean for running through the Cylon detector? Why?"

Laura shifted uncomfortably. Lee was exactly the last person she wanted to confess her suspicions to.

"You don't think he's a Cylon?" Lee asked.

"I don't know," she said. She went on to explain what Leoben had said—leaving out the matter of the strange dream. 

Lee steepled his hands and thought for a moment. "It doesn't make any sense," he finally said. "I mean, if he's a Cylon, then…"

"That's right, he can't be," Laura said quickly. She fely slightly embarrassed for having even brought it up. "But that still doesn't change his odd behavior."

Lee surprised her by being the one to bring up the next point. "He could have been replaced, though, you know. If the Cylons look like us now, what's to keep them from…" He paused, swallowing hard. "You know… copying someone. I mean… I hate to think it, but he was alone with a Cylon down in the armory…"

Laura didn't want to think about it either. As hard as it was to work with the elder Adama, she certaintly didn't want him to be a Cylon, not the least because he was Lee's father.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," she said, placing what she hoped would be a soothing hand on his arm. "I'm going to talk to Baltar and see if he's done the test yet. Then we'll know."

Lee nodded. "Right. I'll go with you."

**

Ellen made her way through _Galactica_ 's hallways, trying to get a sense of the ship. She'd never really liked being cooped up in a tin can for weeks on end, which was why she'd never taken cruises or come with Saul when he was in space. She liked her freedom of movement and the ability to go where she wanted.

However, she also liked to know her surroundings, which was why she was currently working on her mental map of _Galactica_. Being the XO's wife had its perks and Ellen hoped she would at least be able to keep some of those, even if Saul continued to play house with Bill. (She really couldn't see what he saw in him—and Saul's taste in men had usually been quite compatible with hers, if those strip club conversations had been anything to go by.) 

Plus, if she was honest with herself, she hoped she might run into someone who could keep her company while Saul snuggled with his favorite sourpuss. 

And there was a likely candidate approaching her now… Ellen made good use of the distance remaining between him to admire his stride. There was just something about pilots she'd learned to appreciate. But who was the woman with him, she wondered? Not military… 

Oh! Ellen recognized her from the news sheets. That was the President—the former Secretary of Education. 

And she was now close enough to notice that the handsome pilot she'd been admiring was _Lee_ , of all people. 

He seemed to recognize her just as she recognized him.

"Ellen?" he asked incredulously.

She beamed. "Lee!" She moved toward him. "It's so good to see you. It's been ages." She reached out and took his hand in both of hers.

His companion—she was sure it was Roslin—was looking at Lee curiously. If Ellen didn't know better, she'd say she was almost jealous.

"What are you – how did you?" Lee was sputtering.

Ellen grinned. "Oh, it's a long story. Some good soul saved my life on Picon and I've only just now made it to _Galactica_." 

Lee still looked lost and Ellen released his hand. "You haven't introduced me to your lady friend." She extended her hand to Roslin.

Lee seemed to regain his composure instantly with that comment. Interesting. "This is the President of the Colonies," he announced, in a formal voice. "Laura Roslin." Okay, then, she'd been right. 

Lee turned to Roslin. "Madam President, this is Ellen Tigh. Colonel Tigh's wife." 

Roslin's face lit up in a way that didn't quite meet her eyes. She needed to work on that expression.

"It's nice to meet you," she said.

They shook hands perfunctorily and already Ellen was revising her game plan. There was definitely something going on here.


	8. Chapter 8

"So," Saul murmured, after he and Bill had left off kissing for a while. "What did you find out on _Rising Star_?"

"Just got a sample of Ellen's blood." Bill rested his head on Saul's shoulder, smiling as he began stroking his hair. "Gave it to Baltar for testing."

Saul grinned. "What, you think she's a Cylon?"

Bill opened his eyes. "No. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yeah. I guess." Saul swallowed hard. He hadn't considered this possibility and the idea made him cringe. Ellen couldn't be a Cylon. There was no way.

"Are you boys talking about me again?" 

They both looked up. There she was, standing by the hatch, an amused smile on her face. 

"You really should lock the hatch if you're going to make out," she added. "It could have been someone else." She made her way over to the couch and sat down next to Bill. "No one else knows, do they?"

"No," Bill said quickly. He cut his eyes over to Ellen.

"Don't worry," she said. "I won't tell. I know how you worry about your rules and regs."

"Thanks," Bill said thinly. Saul elbowed him.

"Anyway," Ellen continued, ignoring Bill's look, "I just ran into Lee and the President. What's going on with them?"

Bill's scowl deepened. "He's her advisor." 

"Oh, really?" Ellen's eyebrows rose. Saul was about to ask where this was going—it was best to get her to cut right to the point. "When I saw them, they were on their way to the lab."

Bill and Saul exchanged glances.

"The lab?" Saul asked.

Bill paled, then pushed himself off the couch. "Excuse us," he said to Ellen.

Ellen had no intention of being excused, though, because she followed them out of Bill's quarters. Bill looked irritated, but he didn't tell her to leave.

The lab door was open and Roslin and Lee were inside, talking to Baltar.

"What's going on here?" Bill asked.

Roslin and Lee looked up, rather guiltily in Saul's opinion. "Commander," Roslin said. She sounded disappointed.

"Doctor Baltar," Bill said, ignoring her.

Baltar threw up his hands. "I'm not changing it again! I'm sorry, but I can't work under this kind of pressure. I don't think any of you understand what it's like, getting orders from three sides at once." 

Everyone froze. 

"Right then," Baltar said briskly, "I'm testing your sample first, Commander." It was the calmest voice Saul had ever heard him use and he seemed to be smirking at someone, but Saul couldn't figure out who.

"Why?" Bill asked. 

"Because it's first in the line. By order of the President."

Bill whipped around to face Roslin. " _What_?" 

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Exactly what he just said."

"You know I'm not a Cylon." Bill's voice was clipped.

"No, not really, I don't." 

Saul looked at Ellen. She was smirking.

"If I were a Cylon," Bill said darkly, "we'd be in a lot of trouble."

"I know," Roslin said coolly. She wasn't dropping his gaze; he had to give her credit for that. 

"And I _will_ allow myself to be tested. Just not right now."

"Why not right now?"

Bill looked over at Ellen. "Because I want her tested first."

" _What_?" Ellen's eyebrows flew up. "When did you decide this? I didn't realize you were so petty."

"What's a blood test if you have nothing to hide?"

"I could say the same about you," Baltar said. Bill and Ellen both looked at him.

"What?" they said together.

"Now, look," he said, looking at each of the five of them in turn (though Saul noticed he seemed to also look at the empty space next to Ellen, as though there was another person there. He really was a few coconuts short of a Libran beach party.) His voice sounded very high and strained. "You're all going to leave. I'm going to run two tests. I'll call you when the tests are done. You'll get the results at the same time but you won't know which one I've done first. All right?"

They all exchanged glances. 

"All right," Bill agreed. 

"Now, out you go! All of you."

Together, they trooped outside into the hallway. 

There was a long moment of awkward silence before Ellen said, "I have an idea!" 

"What's that?" Roslin asked.

"Why don't we break open that bottle of ambrosia?" Ellen smiled. "Over dinner."

"What bottle of ambrosia?" Bill asked. 

Ellen looked surprised "Oh, did I forget to mention that? I brought it over from _Rising Star_."

Saul grinned. "Where did you manage to get a bottle of ambrosia on a medical transport?"

Ellen just beamed. Over her shoulder, Bill scowled.

**

Laura couldn't believe they were actually having dinner. It was far too… mundane… for what was going on behind the scenes. 

"This is wonderful, Bill," Ellen enthused from her position next to him. It wasn't lost on Laura how she'd slid in between her husband and the Commander and how she was lavishing most of her attention on the latter. She almost felt sorry for Tigh. "How long are we going to have steak?"

"I don't know," he said, seeming to savor the bite he took. "But it's nice to have it and it's nice to share it with friends."

"I'll drink to that!" Ellen laughed and held up her glass. "What do you say, Saul? A toast? To new relationships."

Tigh looked flustered. "Yes. Right." He raised his glass perfunctorily, then took a long, hearty sip.

"These two," Ellen added, leaning conspiratorially across the table toward Laura, "they've always been thick as thieves." 

Laura smiled politely at her and looked back down at her plate.

Adama looked suddenly startled. "Ellen, why don't you tell us about what people are saying on _Rising Star_?" 

She sat back in her chair, looking disappointed. "Well, there's Earth, of course. Everyone's wondering about that. Where it is, when you'll take us there."

Something briefly flashed between Adama and Tigh, but Laura thought she might have been imagining it. There was far too much going on. She turned to Lee.

"Is this worth it?"

He sighed. "It better be."

"Come on, don't keep secrets." Ellen grinned. "Share it with the class." 

"Oh, it was nothing." Laura lifted her glass to hide her smirk. "Nothing at all."

**

Bill thought this dinner would never end. He didn't really have an appetite, but was trying valiantly to finish his dinner—after all, their food supplies wouldn't last forever and, he heard his grandmother's voice in his head saying he shouldn't waste food. 

But there was a lot to occupy his mind.

There was Lee and the President, for one—conspiring against him? No, that was too harsh. But it definitely merited keeping an eye on. He didn't entirely trust her, especially not if she'd managed to convince _Lee_ of all people that Bill was a Cylon. That was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. 

And then there was Ellen. Saul had reported that she understood about his and Bill's relationship but Bill wasn't quite confident that Saul had assessed the situation correctly. Ellen seemed to be flirting equally with all three of them. Trying to get a rise out of somebody, Bill decided.

Well, it wasn't going to work on him, he was sure. The last thing he needed on top of all this Cylon suspicion business was for Ellen to out him and Saul through one of her stupid little comments. 

The look on Saul's face when Ellen was paying attention to Bill was almost enough to give them away right off the bat. Did he have an _ounce_ of discretion? 

No, he realized, remembering the thirty years he'd known Saul. He didn't.

And truthfully, Roslin wasn't much better at hiding the look on her face when Ellen was flirting with Lee. That wasn't something that was usually present in professional relationships, now, was it? Maybe this was the reason she'd taken a special interest in Lee; it would certainly explain things. 

Not that Bill didn't think Lee was a good officer… it was just decidedly odd for the President of the Colonies to be paying so much attention to a junior officer. 

Bill was startled from his reverie by the comm buzzing. 

For a moment, the five of them just stared at each other, then Bill got up. 

"Adama," he said, holding it up to his ear.

"I have the results if you'll join me in the lab." Bill wondered how long Baltar's sudden bout of confidence would last.

"Well, Bill," Ellen said when he'd hung up. "Our moment of judgment has arrived." She took both his hands and started to lead him to the hatch. "I guess we'll find out if one of us is a Cylon." She caught Saul's eye deliberately then. "I suppose if one of us was…"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Saul muttered. "Let's go." 

He looked just like Bill felt—eager to get it over with. Roslin and Lee seemed somewhat more subdued—good, Bill thought petulantly. They had started it.

Probably.

He couldn't remember anymore. It had been a long day and he was tired. 

"We're here, Doctor!" Ellen announced as she opened the hatch to the lab.

"Splendid," Baltar said. "As it so happens, I have your results right here." He placed two sheets of paper face down on the table.

Suddenly, Bill was gripped by a moment of panic. What if by some chance—however ridiculously unlikely—he _was_ a Cylon?

Ellen was smirking at him. "Well, Bill, do you want to do it together? I'll look at yours and you look at mine?"

"Mm." Bill was looking at Saul—he looked very nervous.

 _Well_ , he thought. _If one of us turns out to be a Cylon, that makes your decision easier_.

He reached over, took the sheet in front of Ellen and flipped it over.

"Human," he said.

Saul visibly relaxed.

"Oh my gods," Ellen murmured. "Bill…" Her hands shook as she gripped the paper. "You're…" 

"What?" Saul barked.

"Human." She grinned, flipping over the page so they could see it. "Got you." 

Saul scowled.

"There," Baltar said, sitting down heavily. "You're both human. Happy?"

"Very," Bill said. He looked at Roslin. "Are you?"

"I'm very glad the fleet is safe," she said. 

Bill smirked. "Well, we haven't tested you yet."

"And that can come later," Baltar cut in. "Right now, I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave so I can.. get back to testing the rest of the samples."

"Of course," Saul said. He sounded skeptical.

Once they were in the corridor, it seemed to take a moment for everyone to decide what to do.

"I guess you're going back to _Colonial One_ ," Bill said to Roslin.

"I guess I am."

"Madam President," Lee said. "I'll walk you down to the hangar deck."

"Well, thank you, Captain." She took his arm gingerly. "Good night, Commander, Colonel, Mrs. Tigh."

The three of them murmured their good-nights and watched as Roslin and Lee left.

"Well," Ellen said. "That was interesting." She eyed Bill and Saul critically. "Do you boys have plans for the rest of the evening?"

"Some rack time," Saul said.

"Oh? Whose rack?"

Saul gave her a pointed look. "I don't want to get in your way."

"Fair enough. Good night, Saul." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Then, to Bill's great surprise, she kissed him on the cheek, too, and turned down the hall to Saul's quarters.

When she had gone a few paces, she stopped and looked back at them. "You didn't really think I was a Cylon, did you, Bill?"

Bill allowed himself an easy smile. "Not at all."

She gave him one last lingering look and then she was gone.

Bill and Saul didn't speak on the way back to Bill's quarters. When the hatch was closed, Saul slumped against the wall. 

"Godsdamnit," he muttered. "What a day."

"You can say that again." Bill unbuttoned his jacket, trying not to look at the detritus from their abandoned dinner. 

Saul crossed over to the table and popped one of the untouched strawberries into his mouth. "Still good."

"Are we?"

Saul stared at him for a moment before realization struck. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Bill. We're fine."

Bill came over to him, and on a whim, slipped his arms around Saul. "Did you mean that about rack time?"

Saul smirked. "Well, I wanted to spend some time in your rack," he said, letting his hand trail up Bill's chest. "What we do there depends on you. Do you have any ideas?"

Bill kissed him slowly. "I think I have a few."

Saul made a noise low in his throat—a very sexy noise—and kissed Bill back fiercely. "What were they?"

"Mm." Bill lazily wrapped his arms around Saul's neck, pulling him in for another kiss. There was a lot of heat in it and all of Bill's tiredness from earlier seemed to evaporate. He was definitely ready for some rack time. "I'll let you know."

**

The following afternoon, Bill was working on some papers at his desk when the comm buzzed. 

"Adama," he said, answering it.

"Sir, the President to see you."

Bill frowned. He hadn't asked to speak with Roslin, hadn't wanted to after the events of yesterday. He'd wanted to give them at least a few days to cool off first. Obviously, she wanted to make the first move. "Send her in."

He kept his hands busy tidying papers until Roslin rounded the corner. He rose to greet her. 

"Madam President. Can I get you anything to drink?"

She smiled. "I'm fine, Commander. And, please, do call me Laura." She took the seat he offered her opposite him.

"Well, if I'm going to do that, I'm going to ask you to call me Bill." 

"All right, it's a deal." She paused, clearly trying to see if he would start speaking first. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Yes, yesterday." Bill took his glasses off. "I'd been meaning to ask to meet with you myself. I think we need to clear the air a bit."

"Yes, we do," she said. She paused. "I will say I'm glad you're not a Cylon, and I hope you understand I had the best interests of the fleet at heart. I hope there are no hard feelings."

"None at all." Bill rested his hand on his book, in order to give himself something to do. He noticed her eyes straying to read the title. He filed that away as something to build on later. "We should each be able to be certain that the other's not a Cylon."

"Absolutely. Dr. Baltar is testing the rest of the samples as we speak, so we'll soon be sure of the rest of our staffs."

"Good." Bill leaned back in his chair. "You know, I really can't blame you. If the situations were reversed, I'd have done exactly the same thing." _Because I did_ , he thought, his mind going back to Ellen. Not that he'd _really_ thought she was a Cylon.

"And this is exactly what they want from us, Bill." It surprised him a little to hear her use his first name. It was odd that there were only three people left in the universe who did that. "They want us to suspect each other, to lose our trust in each other."

"You're exactly right." And she was. He should trust Roslin. After all, if he didn't, things would be a lot harder. His job was stressful enough without having her as an enemy, too. "Truce?" He offered her his hand.

She took it. "Truce."

**

As the next few weeks passed, Adama definitely got easier to deal with. Maybe it was the confirmation that he wasn't a Cylon that made her more inclined to deal with him—or maybe she was just getting more confident in her relationship with Lee, more sure of herself, which translated to feeling better about dealing with his father. 

"So," Lee said, tapping the file in front of her. "This is your security for next week."

Laura shifted on the bed and wrapped the blanket more securely around her shoulders. "Oh, Lee, is this really necessary?"

"Yes." He kissed her hair. "It is. _You_ may not think so, but thankfully you're not in charge of your own security."

Laura smirked. "Well, as I recall, neither are you."

"I talked it over with your detail," he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I managed to convince them that this was a matter for someone experienced in military matters. After all, they're not trained Presidential Security agents—just a couple of cops and security guards."

"Mmhm." Laura ran her hand up Lee's bare arm. "I think you're just overprotective." 

"Maybe. If I am, it's because I care about you."

"I know." She lay back, picking up the dossier on the new Quorum members. "Honestly, I'm more concerned about Tom Zarek."

Lee sighed. "I do feel partially responsible for that."

"No, don't. It's not your fault. You made the right decision back there." She removed her glasses and set them aside. "We'll have to be thinking about elections."

"Well, know that I support you one-hundred percent, Madam President." He lay down beside her and she pressed herself against him, reveling in the feeling of his young, strong body. "I'll do everything in my power to get you reelected."

Laura let him pull her head onto his shoulder. "Well, we still have six months. Zarek's somewhat limited in the trouble he can cause until then. He's just one out of twelve." 

"That's right," Lee murmured. "He has support among the Sagittarons, of course, but I think beyond that and Aerilon, maybe, Virgon, his influence will be limited."

"You sound like you've been reading up."

"Well." Lee looked embarrassed. "Just the commentary in some of the news sheets. Just because I'm your _military_ advisor doesn't mean I have to be clueless about politics. Plus." He stopped.

She brushed a lock of his hair back from his face. "Plus what?"

"Well." Lee shifted. "When I was in college, I was pretty interested in politics. I read a lot of stuff, some of it pretty radical, but I just wanted to get all the viewpoints. I think it's important to take them into account." 

Laura nodded. "It certainly is."

"My grandfather—my father's father—was a public defender. When I was growing up, I really admired him, and actually, I entertained the idea of going into law myself."

"Really." Laura sat up, surprised. "Knowing what I do of your father, I can't picture him as the son of a lawyer."

Lee made a face. "They didn't exactly get along. In fact, that might be why I got along so well with my grandfather; he was so different from my father."

"Well, I will say this. You continue to impress me by how well-rounded you are." She slipped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for reminding me why I hired you."

He kissed her. "You didn't exactly hire me." 

"A minor detail."

**

"I'm sending you to _Cloud Nine_ for a few days."

"What?" Saul looked up from the flight logs he was skimming, as he sat on the couch with Bill. " _Why_?"

"I need a senior officer over there and you're all I can spare." 

"So…" Saul ran his stocking-clad foot up the underside of Bill's thigh. "It's not just because you want to get rid of me? Trying to curb a raging sex addiction?" 

Bill looked at Saul over the tops of his glasses. "If I could send someone else, I would."

"Good." Saul tucked his feet back under Bill's and went back to his file. 

Bill snickered, right as realization hit Saul. 

"Hey, wait a minute…"

"Seriously." Bill took his glasses off. It had torn him up to do this—it was just three days, sure, and he needed to prove to himself that he could still put their jobs ahead of their relationship when he had to. He wanted him and Saul to be equals as much as possible, but he also wanted to retain his authority as Commander when the situation called for it, the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to send someone else be damned. "You need to go." 

"Okay." Saul looked petulant. "What do I have to do, anyway?"

"Greet people. Be a representative of _Galactica_. You don't get a vote or anything, but you're there to serve as a reminder of the military branch of the government."

"Aw, frak, Bill." Saul tossed his folder onto the table. "You know I don't do politics."

"I know. I hate it, too. But it doesn't change the fact that it's necessary. We have to show solidarity with Roslin…"

"Solidarity with Roslin." Saul chuckled. "Who was it that accused you of being a Cylon a couple weeks ago?"

"That's in the past," Bill murmured, expertly pushing Saul's wandering hand away until he got to the end of this report from Tyrol. "Things have really been going well between us."

"Yeah, and why's that?"

Bill thought it would be cliché to admit that getting laid regularly had done wonders for his mood. He had spent years resisting Saul's attempts to hook him up with various women—which he, of course, now had to be glad had failed, but Bill could never put an opportunity for an _I told you so_ past Saul.

"I don't know." He flipped another page. "She's just seemed more willing to compromise on some things."

Saul snickered. "Should I be jealous?"

"No." 

"Good." Saul slid up the couch so Bill's view of his report was obstructed. "Because if I'm going to spend the next few days lazing around by the pool…"

"You're not."

"…sitting in on some boring policy meeting, then I could do with a good-bye frak."

Bill checked his watch. "Your shuttle leaves in two and a half hours."

Saul plucked the report out of his hands. "Plenty of time."


	9. Chapter 9

To his dismay, Lee found himself sharing a shuttle with Saul Tigh.

"So, you're in charge of security, huh?" Tigh growled, after ignoring him for the first few minutes of the flight.

"Yeah. Meeting Roslin over there." He paused. "Are you supposed to be supervising me?" He didn't like the idea that his father was sending someone to keep tabs on him, especially as it pertained to his relationship with Laura.

"Not in the least." Tigh looked away from Lee, seemingly engrossed in the stars and ships outside the Raptor. "Special liaison. I guess I'm representing the military in government."

Lee nodded. Somehow, though, he couldn't shake the sense that his father was spying on him. "I'm just coordinating with Roslin's own people about what we're providing for the event already."

"Ah." Tigh leaned back in his seat. "That sounds interesting, at least. Sure wish Bill'd sent me there, instead of the receiving line."

It was a rare unguarded moment and Lee was surprised to hear Tigh state his true feelings on the matter. They said nothing more for the rest of the flight—Lee was awaiting his meeting with Laura and Tigh was no doubt similarly preoccupied. Lee had heard his wife was staying on Cloud Nine.

Plus , the silence was a nice contrast to the usual head butting.

**

"Saul!" Ellen met him at the arrivals gate, throwing her arms around him tightly. "How are you? I got your message. What's this favor you need?"

Saul took a step back. He wasn't entirely comfortable with this arrangement but it was necessary. "I need a date." he said simply. "An escort. Just somebody to accompany me to a few functions."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "You mean you need me to be your wife again for a few days?"

Saul scratched behind his ear. "Pretty much."

"Finally found something Bill couldn't do for you, hm?" She looked smug. "I bet you miss me. I bet you miss the swirl."

The truth was Saul did miss the swirl but it would probably be fruitless to ask Ellen to teach it to Bill. "Come on, Ellen, I just need the one favor." 

"One favor? One favor is bringing home some milk. "

Saul threw up his hands. "Okay, okay, a couple favors."

Ellen considered this.

Saul looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was listening. "Do you know how it would look if I showed up without my wife? It'd be all over the gossip rags."

"That's pretty rich," Ellen said coolly. "You know, under Old Gemenese law I could sue you for spousal neglect. You haven't fulfilled your marital obligations in eighteen months. That was the minimal husbandly duty."

"Really? That was the law?"

"Well, you would technically have owned me, so let's call it a wash." She paused. "What are these functions anyway?"

Saul shrugged. "Meeting people. Talking to them… you know, the stuff you're good at that I'm not."

She grinned. "Oh, Saulie, flattery will get you everywhere."

"So you'll do it?"

"That depends on what's in it for me."

Saul frowned. "I guess we can work something out…"

"Are you getting a room out of this?" 

"Yeah."

"Where is it?"

"A Deck."

Ellen looked thoughtful. "If I should happen to meet someone at one of these… meeting people things, as you so eloquently called them…"

"Yeah, you can bring him back to the room. But tell me first."

She gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir." 

"And," Saul added, pointing sharply at her, "at the end of all this, if I get Bill over here…"

She spread her hands wide. "It'll be all yours, dear."

"So, do we have a deal then?"

"I think it certainly sounds like we do."

She grinned and looped her arms around his neck. "I can't believe Bill let you come over here. What's he going to think when he realizes all the time you'll be spending with me?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure he knows." Saul realized he was making no move to disengage from her embrace. 

"Well, I suppose he'll find out." She was the first to let go. "Having second thoughts?"

"No! Not at all." Saul wanted to change the subject as soon as he could. "So how's _Cloud Nine_ treating you?" He shouldered his bag and started making his way to the main corridor. "I hear the weather's lovely."

Ellen laughed. "It really is nice. The most interesting people in the fleet pass through here. You'd be _amazed_ how many celebrities I've met. You know this was the most expensive berth in the Colonies before the attacks and everyone was covering Persephone Peach's honeymoon." 

"Yeah, and how are the _Cloud Nine_ set taking rationing?"

She smirked. "It's the end of the world, Saul. Nobody cares. Everyone's just trying to live it up like they're going to die the next day." 

Saul frowned. Somehow he didn't relish spending the next few days here.

**

"I don't think you should give a speech outdoors. I don't want you standing in one place for an extended period of time." 

Laura sat back and crossed her arms, regarding Lee. "Is that so?"

Lee had the good grace to look sheepish. "With all due respect, Madam President, until we have a system in place, with a Vice President and a line of succession, you need to be careful." He cast a hesitant glance at Laura's assembled aids, hoping one of them would help him out.

"He's right." Wally looked a bit surprised that Lee was right, but defended him nonetheless. "I want you in and out. No dawdling, no stopping, limit the meet-and-greats."

"Yes, and how am I supposed to get reelected if I can't mingle with the people?"

"We can worry about that later." Wally spread his hands wide. "The issue now is getting our government reestablished. We can worry about the election later. We have time for that. What we can't afford is for this to all fall apart before we get off the ground."

"Like a power vacuum making room for Tom Zarek," Laura finished. "I get it." She smiled. "Between the two of you, I don't think I have anything to fear."

Lee flushed slightly—she had to admit she enjoyed that. "Just because there haven't been any credible threats—"

"I know, I know, it doesn't mean there aren't any." She paused. "I'll be a good girl, I promise."

"That's all we ask." Wally stood and flipped his file shut. "Ready for tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She stood, stretching. "I think I want to go over the agenda one more time. Just to refresh my memory so I don't make any embarrassing missteps."

"Okay." Wally looked at his watch. "If you want me to, I can—"

"No, no." She put her hand on his shoulder. "You go to bed. You've done enough for one night. I'll be ready for you bright and early."

"Good." He patted her arm, took one last look at Lee (Laura held her breath, willing him not to ask why Lee was staying) and left.

"Gods, I thought he'd never leave," Laura said, when the door was closed. "Don't get me wrong; I very much value his advice, but…" She headed over to Lee and slipped her arms around his shoulders. "I must admit I had ulterior motives for calling you in to my… late-night staff conference."

He kissed her. "I serve at the pleasure of the President."

"Oh, do you?" Heat bubbled up inside her at this comment. How could he be so adorably boyish one moment and say such incredibly dirty things the next?

"I can show you," he said, sliding his hand across her stomach. "But you do have an early morning tomorrow, so maybe we shouldn't…"

"Captain Apollo," she whispered firmly in his ear. "Do you realize that for what may be the only time, we have a queen-sized bed at our disposal?"

"I hadn't realized that, Madam President." His grin, though, said he had. 

"Now," she went on, "I'm sure they taught you this in military training. What do you do when you find yourself in an unfamiliar location?"

"Assess the situation," Lee breathed back.

"And?"

"Determine what can be accomplished with the time and materials allowed."

She smiled. "So, what do you think we should do?"

**

"Why did you let me stay out so late?" Saul rubbed his eyes and reached for his coffee. 

"Because it was fun. Didn't you have fun?" 

"Yeah, I had fun." He was reluctant to admit it, based on the amount of sleep he'd gotten, but he'd forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with Ellen in clubs. As much as he loved Bill, he was sure Bill would never go clubbing with him on Cloud Nine. 

At least, they wouldn't dance like that, if he ever did.

He yawned. So, he had to get up early this morning. What had Ellen said about living it up at the end of the world?

"So, what's the agenda for today?" She slid into the seat next to him, eyeing his room service breakfast speculatively.

"Greet people as they come in." He bit into a Picon toast stick. "You know, the usual."

"What about later?"

"Nothing as far as I can tell."

She smirked. "Then we'll be able to keep our spa appointments."

Saul frowned. 

"Come on," she said. "Surely your boyfriend wouldn't send you over here if he didn't want you to relax."

Saul's frown deepened. He was absolutely sure Bill wasn't sending him to _Cloud Nine_ to relax, boyfriend or not. 

"Let's see," she said, flipping through her brochure. "Don't you think Bill would like you 97.8% more hydrated?"

"I suppose."

"There's a deep scalp massage that cost 500 cubits. That is, when we still used money."

Saul reached up to scratch the top of his head. "500 cubits?"

"Or you could go with the whole thing for 2000."

Saul peered over her shoulder. "Frak me, a 700-cubit haircut?"

She smirked. "I'm sure they'd relax the fee for you."

"Come on," he muttered. "We're going to be late."

"After dealing with politicians, you might need this. That scalp massage is proven to reverse baldness."

Saul paused. "You may be right."

**

Lee was sticking close to Laura, watching the crowd closely for any suspicious movements. He'd had the room where they were meeting swept in advance and only authorized personnel were allowed in—he'd already turned away a Libran reporter who was complaining about not having been issued a press pass yet.

"Take it up with the press association," Lee told him.

"You really don't have to do that," Laura told him as they walked across the courtyard.

"Yes, I do," Lee said firmly. He knew she thought he was being ridiculous, but he just couldn't shake the bad feeling he had. It was the exact same bad feeling he'd had the day Zak died. 

"Well, can we have lunch without you trying to keep me safe."

Lee frowned. He was about to say something about that depending on _where_ she wanted to eat lunch when the shot rang out.

**

It took Laura a moment, once she registered Lee's body pressing her down, that someone had fired a gun, but she had not been shot.

"Lee!" she cried, hoping he could hear her. A lot of people were screaming and moving in different directions and she wasn't quite sure what was going on.

"Are you okay?" he breathed in her ear. Her heart swelled that apparently he was.

"I'm fine."

She glanced up at him; he was looking around at everyone, trying to determine if it was safe to let her up.

"Please get off of me," she said calmly.

"Not until I know where those shots came from."

The courtyard was already full of security people and she could see the same happening on the balconies nearby. "If the gunman's smart, he'll be long gone."

"All clear, Captain," said a voice, and Lee finally relaxed. He stood and helped Laura up.

"We're going back to your room until we have the situation under control," he said.

She tried to protest, but with security on both sides, he ushered her to the elevator.

It wasn't until they were alone and headed up for the key-access floor reserved for her party that she realized the true magnitude of what had just happened. Someone had tried to kill her.

An assassination attempt had been made on the President.

Putting it in those terms made it seem so distant. There was no way the President meant her.

"Are you really okay?" Lee's arms went around her. That was when she realized she was shaking. 

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm really okay," she said.

He pressed a small kiss to her neck. "I don't want to say I told you so." He was smiling, but his eyes told the whole story. 

"Then don't. I'm going back for the afternoon session." One of them had to remember their purpose here.

Lee turned her to face him. "Listen, Laura. I promise we will find this guy. Hopefully before lunch is over. But if we don't…"

Her lips curved downward. "Finish your sentence, Captain Apollo."

"You can always receive nominations remotely and hold the vote by absentee ballot."

"No," she said simply. "That's not how the President does things. That's not how the President has ever done things,"

"These aren't normal times." Lee looked pained. "I promise I understand how these things work. You need to let them see you."

"It's more than that."

"I know. I know." He brushed back her hair and kissed her. "I'm just like my father, I guess. I need to make you feel presidential. "

She smiled and kissed him. "You do a much better job of it."

**

"She's fine." Saul shifted on the bed, balancing the receiver between his cheek and his shoulder. "Just a little shaken." He motioned for Ellen to turn down the TV. "And trust me, we're looking for the bastard as we speak."

"That's good." Bill's voice sounded distant and Saul wondered if he was okay running _Galactica_ on his own. Probably he couldn't stand not being in the thick of a serious investigation. "You keeping a tail on Zarek."

"'Course we are." Saul rolled over onto his back. "Zarek's our prime suspect. But you know he's got people everywhere, too. A tail's not gonna do anything."

"It'll keep him nervous. On his toes."

"Wish you were over here."

"You seem to be handling it just fine."

"That's not the reason."

"Oh." He could practically hear Bill's smile. "It's nice to talk to you." 

"You should come over here," Saul said. "I have this nice big bed and nobody to share it with."

Bill chuckled. "Would if I could. But if you're over there, I can't very well leave."

"I know." Saul tried to make his disappointment obvious, despite Ellen's snickers. "You know what I'd do to you if I had you right here?" Ellen smirked.

Bill sounded amused. "No, what?"

"First things first," Saul murmured, "is get that uniform off you. Unbutton allll those buttons…"

**

"Did he enjoy that?" Ellen asked, when Saul hung up. 

He had practically forgotten she was even there. "Yeah. He did."

"You should tell him how lucky he is to be the recipient of one of your naughty phone calls." 

A smirk spread across Saul's features. "What do you want, Ellen?

She sat down next to him on the bed. "I couldn't help hearing that you're looking for whoever took a shot at Roslin and you seem to suspect Tom Zarek."

"Of course we do." 

"You know, I was talking to him today. He seemed a bit more subtle than that."

"And I'm sure you're the expert."

She sat up. "What if I talked to him again?"

Saul sat up to be on level with her. "Are you nuts? He could be dangerous."

"So, you care about me that much."

"Oh, come on." Saul got out of bed. "Ellen, this is ridiculous. You're still my _friend_."

" _And_ I can take care of myself. You're looking for a gunman on the loose. I can talk to Zarek, see if he knows anything."

Saul rubbed his chin. He didn't like this at all.


	10. Chapter 10

Saul didn't think he could have felt more ridiculous if he tried.

"Ellen, are you sure this is working?"

"Well, it can't _hurt_ you, can it? Plus, you want to look nice for tomorrow afternoon, don't you?"

Saul supposed so. But he still felt ridiculous.

They were on _Cloud Nine_ 's famous spa deck, in the waiting area. Ellen was flipping through an already well-thumbed issue of _Colonial Stars_ (despite the fact that most of the celebrities were dead) and hoping to spot some of the ones who were alive. Saul was just hoping not to be spotted by anyone from _Galactica_

He'd already been plucked, massaged and exfoliated to within an inch of his life and now he was waiting for the goop they'd rubbed on his head to set. Thank the gods they'd wrapped a towel around his head; the stuff _stank_.

"Guess so." He paused in scratching at the towel—it itched, too. "So, did you end up finding anything out?"

Ellen was examining her new manicure. "He's really not all that bad, Saul. I talked to him, let him get me a drink—he seemed concerned."

"You told him what you were there for?"

"Of course not." She looked offended. "I just brought it up. He said how concerning it was that they couldn't keep the place secure." She smirked. "Then, he said no disrespect was intended as he was sure my husband was doing a fine job."

Saul rolled his eyes. "He was leading you on."

"It doesn't make sense anyway," she said. "He's going to be Vice President. Why kill Roslin before that's in place? Why not wait 'til after?"

"Yeah and he might not _be_ Vice-President now." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "Roslin's nominated Gaius Baltar."

Ellen raised her eyebrows. " _Really_? Our neighbor on _Galactica_?"

Saul snorted. "If that's what you want to call him."

She seemed to consider this. "Do you think he can do it?"

"Hell no. But I'd rather have him than Zarek."

She made a skeptical noise.

"So," she added, after a pause. "Do you know what's going on with Lee?"

"What do you mean with Lee?" Saul had heard nothing unusual about him, and as XO, he was curious about something on his ship he may have missed. 

"I mean Lee and Laura Roslin." Ellen had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Aren't they acting awfully… cozy?"

"What?" Saul sat up straighter. "The hell are you talking about?"

She laughed. "You never notice these things. They were whispering to each other the other night at dinner… of course, you were staring at—"

" _Shh_ ," Saul hissed. "Don't talk about that in here! Anybody could hear you."

"Nobody's in here but us," she said. A moment later, a young woman walked by from around the corner, smiling politely at them.

Saul scowled at Ellen.

"Was that Playa Palacios?" Ellen craned her head to look at the woman. "It was!"

"Saul Tigh? We're ready for you."

"That's you," Ellen said, nodding to the empty chair at the front.

Scowling, Saul got up and tightened the belt on his robe. Did they have to blurt his name all over the place? At least he wasn't wearing his uniform.

"Ready for round two?" the attendant asked him as he sat down.

"If it gets this stuff off my head."

"Well, you're in luck." As she tilted his chair back so his head was in the basin, the last thing Saul saw was Ellen talking to Playa Palacios. Almost immediately, he forgot all about Lee and Laura Roslin.

**

For the second day of meetings, Laura insisted on going into the chamber alone.

Lee was reasonably certain she was safe in there, so he allowed it. It was locked and under armed guard. Now that he was sure of that, he was going to track down the shooter.

"You're not going alone, you know," Kara said, crossing her arms across her chest. She was standing in the doorway to his room in the suite they'd been put up in. "I know you. If you had your way, you'd go off on your own and track this guy down—probably getting yourself shot in the process. You need backup."

Lee paused, looking at the supplies he had spread out over the bed.

"And I know you're too close to this." She came over and sat down next to him. "You didn't think I'd notice you didn't come back last night?"

"It's not what you think, Kara."

"Come on, Lee, we know that's not true." She squeezed his arm. "And I don't care. But I don't want you to run off playing the hero and getting yourself killed because you want to impress her."

"I don't—"

"Then don't," she said firmly. "We do this together."

Lee frowned, but inside, he was grateful. While he didn't like that Kara knew about Laura, he was resigned to it—after all, it was _Kara_. If anyone figured it out eventually, it would be her.

"Does anybody else know?"

"I doubt it." She grinned. "I think I'm the only one who'd notice you were acting differently. If it weren't for you going to _Colonial One_ all the time, I don't think I'd have even noticed myself. I would have just assumed you had somewhere better to be last night."

"Well, I'm just glad you're on my side."

**

"Are you nervous about your speech?" Ellen had walked Saul as far as the Quorum chamber and was presently making sure the sash on his dress uniform was straight.

"It's not a _speech_. It's just a talk. A rundown of our policies, our objectives. These people aren't military experts—hell, most of them wouldn't even have won a Quorum election in a million years back home. We want them to understand what we're doing here."

"Well, good luck." She patted his shoulder. "I think your hair looks fuller already."

Saul doubted that somehow, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to feel.

"You coming in?"

She looked surprised that he'd asked. "I'm sure you won't say anything I don't already know…"

He smirked. "You have a date."

Ellen smirked back. "A lady doesn't tell."

"As long as it's not Tom Zarek."

Ellen smirked again.

The door opened.

"Colonel, we'll ready for you," Roslin's aid said. It was that kid—Billy.

"Good luck," Ellen said.

Saul grimaced and looked down at his notes again. "Same to you."

**

Kara and Lee were about to leave when the door banged open and one of the Marines who'd been assigned to tail Zarek burst in.

"Captain Adama!"

"What is it?"

"Sir, he's gone. He ditched the tail."

"Zarek?" Kara snapped. "He's not in the Quorum meeting?"

"No, he's in there. But he met with two men this morning. One of them went back to the _Astral Queen_. Decker was tailing the other one and he lost him."

"When was this?" Lee asked.

"Twenty minutes ago."

Kara and Lee exchanged glances.

"Frak me," she said.

"Where's the President?" Lee asked.

"With the Quorum, sir. Colonel Tigh's in there, too."

"Why the frak did you wait so long?"

The Marine looked terrified. "I was looking for you, sir, and—"

Kara put her hand on his arm. "Lee. Leave it. Let's go."

They were both off running, leaving the Marine behind.

"He can't get into the chamber," Kara said. "It's locked and guarded and Tigh handpicked those Marines."

"Well, one of Tigh's Marines let this guy get away."

"It wasn't on purpose. This guy's a pro."

They reached the door to the Quorum chamber. "Has anyone gone in or out?" Lee asked the guard.

"No, sir, not since Colonel Tigh."

Kara looked at Lee. "Is there another way in?"

"I don't…" Lee paused. "There's a catwalk and a lighting booth." He pulled out his gun and Kara did the same.

"Let's go."

**

It wasn't that Saul was bad at public speaking. It was that this was a stupid speech.

" _Galactica_ is crewed by over two-thousand people," he read from the note cards covered in Bill's neat handwriting. "This crew is comprised of command staff, tactical officers, helmsmen, gunners, Viper and Raptor pilots, deckhands and maintenance crew and many more whose contributions keep our fleet safe." He frowned, hunting for the next card. "My name is Wi—Saul Tigh and I am lucky enough to be her Executive Officer, alongside her Commander, William Adama."

_Couldn't he have at least updated these? When did he use these last?_

"She is one of the original twelve battlestars and is the only one to be in continuous service since the Cylon War." _Well, she's now the_ only _battlestar still in service, so of course she is._

The people looked bored, so Saul skipped the card about _Galactica_ 's size, and how many potatoes her crew could eat in a year. He was beginning to think these things had been intended for the museum.

"One of the most integral parts of any battlestar's crew are her…"

**

The door to the lighting booth was locked.

"He's in there," Lee said. "He's got to be."

"Come on," Kara said, holstering her weapon. "Let's break it down."

Working together, it took one try. The first thing they noticed was that the guy in the booth had already been shot. The booth was otherwise empty.

"Catwalk." Kara barked.

They both darted for the door, holding their weapons in front of them. Lee went first. Below them, they could hear Tigh addressing the Quorum, describing the procedures on _Galactica_.

"Condition Two is one of most heightened readiness, when the threat of Cylon attack is immediately present—"

There were two branching sections of catwalk and Lee motioned for Kara to take one while he took the other.

"…Condition One indicates attack is imminent or underway. During Condition One, it is highly likely that the civilian fleet will begin to jump away and _Galactica_ 's alert fighters will scramble…"

That was when Lee saw him. He was on Kara's side of the catwalk, but he couldn't get her attention without alerting the shooter to their presence. Lee crept forward and knelt down, raising his sidearm.

**

Laura shifted in her seat, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs as she listened to Colonel Tigh brief the Quorum.

" _Galactica_ 's alert fighters are a Viper squadron specifically designated at any one time to—"

Suddenly, two shots rang out.

Everyone screamed and ran for cover. Everything blurred for Laura and she was belatedly aware of Billy covering her body with his. Tigh had drawn his weapon and was looking to see where the shots had come from. The Marine guards from outside burst in, weapons drawn.

"Up here!" a voice shouted.

Tigh's gun jerked skyward. "Apollo, is that you?"

"All clear up here, sir." That sounded like Lieutenant Thrace. "He's dead."

"Same down here, sir," said the Marine.

Slowly, Laura got to her feet. This didn't entirely feel real. She reached for the podium for support. "Billy, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Madam President."

"That's good. Captain Apollo," she called up to Lee. It was a struggle to keep her voice from shaking. Lee had to be okay. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Relief washed over her. She knew he had to be reserved in public, simply informing her of his condition, and she couldn't wait to get him alone.

"Ma'am." One of the Marines approached her. "The area's secure. We're going to have to get these people out of here so security can take their statements."

"Yes, of course." She turned back to the podium. Where was her gavel? "I suppose this session is adjourned."

**

They all gathered in Roslin's suite—Kara, Lee and Tigh, along with a few presidential aides.

"So, you think this is over?" Roslin asked.

"We can't be absolutely positive," Tigh said. "There's always the chance that this is not the same guy who took a shot at you yesterday."

"We also can't be sure if this is the same guy who was meeting with Tom Zarek." Kara looked down again at the statements the Marines had given. "I have conflicting reports here about whether or not this was someone we had under surveillance this morning."

"So we can't connect the shooter to Tom Zarek."

"No."

"We all know he's involved," Tigh cut in. "Can't we grab him?"

Inwardly, Kara agreed with him, but she couldn't say that. "We need evidence, _sir_."

Tigh glared at her.

"What do you want to do, Madam President?" Lee asked her. Kara rolled her eyes. He really wasn't doing a good job of being discreet at all.

Roslin raised her head in thought. "I think," she said slowly, "that now that the immediate threat is over, we simply carry on with the selection of the Vice President and let the public know that the situation has been dealt with. We don't have any proof at all of this man's association with Tom Zarek, and even if we did, there would be no way to know whether or not he acted under Zarek's orders. I say we simply declare the matter closed and carry on as normal."

"That's fine by me," Tigh said. "We'll still keep up the security, though."

"Yes, Colonel, I think that would be a good idea."

When the meeting was finished, Roslin dismissed her staff. Kara and Tigh stood to go. Lee remained seated.

"Coming, Apollo?" Tigh asked.

"I just thought I'd run through her schedule one more time," he said. "Don't worry about me, Colonel. I'll be along soon."

No, Kara thought. He really wasn't doing a good job.

When they got out into the hallway, the Old Man was waiting for them.

"Didn't think you were coming 'til tomorrow," Tigh said, eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't," Adama said. "But then I heard you got shot at."

Tigh smirked. "Wasn't really _me_ that got shot at. I think they were aiming at the President."

"Sir?" Kara decided to get his attention.

"Kara." Adama greeted her warmly, but she could tell his mind was somewhere else.

"I think the situation's under control here," she said.

Adama nodded. "Good." He smiled. "You're dismissed. Thank you."

She struggled to hide her smirk as she turned and headed down the hall. Well, at least it was obvious where Lee got it from.

**

"So, how was your date?" Saul asked, as he positioned his hands on Ellen's waist.

She grinned. "It was very nice actually. I met him on _Rising Star_. He's a doctor. He's going to be a bit late; something came up."

Saul nodded. "So I guess you're stuck dancing with me."

"Oh, it's not too much of a hardship." She looped her arms around his neck as they moved in time with the music. "You wouldn't have a partner, otherwise, would you?"

"Doubt it." He leaned in to mutter in her ear. "Bill said no."

Ellen laughed. "Did you even bother asking?"

"'Course I did. I want to dance with him; he's my…" He trailed off. He still didn't know what to call Bill.

"Boyfriend," Ellen supplied.

"That's as good as anything. So, what's your guy like?"

"He's nice. You should meet him sometime. We ought to all go to dinner or something, you and me and Steve and Bill. I could try to get us in at the Stellarium."

Saul let out a low whistle. "The Stellarium? Guess that'll be a challenge for you." The Stellarium was one of the most expensive restaurants in the Colonies. "They're not out of their stores yet?"

She beamed. "Nope. I'll see what I can do. Oh, look! There's Steve!"

Saul craned his head. "Him? He's hot."

"Do remember who's over there watching us like a hawk."

Saul turned again and caught a glimpse of Bill's face. He winced. Bill was wearing an expression that could curdle milk.

"Someone's not happy," Ellen said.

"I think we ought to let Steve cut in," Saul said, nodding to who was making his way toward them.

"Lovely." She stepped away from him and Saul headed to the table with the punch bowl and Bill.

**

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, Lee. When are you going to stop asking me that?"

"When I get over you getting shot at twice."

"Shot _at_ being the operative term here."

Lee turned her in time with the music. "I just don't like how close I came to losing you." He pulled her as close to him as he dared.

Laura bit her lip. She knew he'd have to get used to the idea of losing her—the cancer was still a looming presence over their relationship, even though they rarely talked about it.

"Don't worry about that," she finally said. "Your job is far more dangerous than mine. Plus, aren't we supposed to be celebrating tonight?

"You're right." He smiled, but it looked like it was difficult for him. "It's Colonial Day. We should be celebrating continuity of government."

"I was thinking maybe a little bit more than that," she said, whispering in his ear. When Lee shivered, she grinned and began to wonder how long she had to stick around here.

**

"Hey."

Bill looked up from his punch. "Hey yourself."

"Oh now don't get that way. You know this was a for-show thing right? She's gone off with somebody else."

"No idea what you mean."

Saul gave an exasperated sigh. He was never going to get Bill to say anything potentially incriminating. That was that. 

Bill's eyebrow lifted. "Colonel, can I see you in private?"

"Right away, sir"

**

“I thought the threat was over,” Laura said. “Why are you checking my room?”

Lee holstered his weapon and shut the bathroom door. “Just doing my job, Madam President.” 

Laura slipped her arms around him from behind. “But now you’re off duty, right?” 

He turned in her arms, bringing their lips together. He had thought about this and thought about this all evening and he now wanted to take his time and enjoy the situation. 

“Definitely off duty,” he murmured against her parted lips. 

The noise she made next was practically a purr as she guided him to the bed. He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. He couldn’t believe their good fortune to have a moment like this together. And how close had he come to losing her?

“I’m right here, Lee,” she whispered in his ear. 

That was all the reminding he needed.

**

Saul woke in a very pleasant position, Bill's hair tickling his nose. Slowly, he spread his fingers wide against the smooth soft skin of Bill's stomach. Oh, he could get very used to this. 

"Mm," Bill said sleepily. "Where are my clothes?"

"All over the floor."

"Didn't mean to do that." Bill finally opened his eyes. "I meant to go back last night."

"Who cares? No one was watching us. Nobody knows we're here."

“Mm.” Bill sounded as though he’d like to go back to sleep. Saul took the opportunity to kiss him slowly, drinking him in. He could probably convince Bill to stay a little while longer. He twitched the sheet aside and straddled Bill as they kissed, sliding his hand down over his hips...

At that moment, the door to the stateroom opened and they both moved into action, simultaneously trying to get out of bed and cover themselves.

"Relax," Ellen said, "it's just me."

Bill lowered the duvet he'd yanked over his head. "Can we have a little privacy?"

"I'm not sure you'd rather frak than read this." She was holding a news sheet in her hand. "It's about your son and the President."

Bill dove for it, taking the sheet with him, apparently not caring about exposing Saul. It didn’t matter, however, as Ellen’s eyes were following what Bill was just barely successful in covering with his sheet. 

Bill didn’t seem to care. Still holding the paper in one hand, he reached for his shorts and put them on with the other. “I need to talk to him,” he said levelly. 

“Weren’t you meeting him anyway?” Saul asked, rolling over on his side. 

“Yeah.” Bill finished dressing quickly and put the paper in his pocket without letting Saul see what it said. “I am.”

Saul and Ellen exchanged glances as the door shut. He hoped she would fill him in.


	11. Chapter 11

As Boomer flew Bill back to _Galactica_ , he tried to calm himself. He didn't want to go in there and start yelling at his son. It was good that they'd already planned to work out together and Bill was pleased to see Lee want to put the gloves on again. He'd thought Lee had stopped being interested in boxing when he'd cut Bill out of his life. He had no idea he'd kept it up, and kept it up well. If Bill wanted to keep his relationship with his son, he would have to approach this issue carefully.

After all, he didn't even think the newssheet was telling the truth. Lee could never be so stupid as to actually be sleeping with the President of the Twelve Colonies. He just needed to be warned how his role as her advisor could look to the press. Bill had been dealing with the press criticizing his decisions his whole command career. After _Valkyrie_ had been a nightmare and he knew Lee had gotten some flak for that just for being Bill's son. He would just remind him of things like that. 

Heck, it wasn't like he wanted to make him stop being Roslin's advisor, though that didn't exactly make Bill's life easy. 

As he headed for the gym, he was mentally planning out what he wanted to say. Lee would have to see reason.

**

His father would kill him. 

You didn't stand Bill Adama up, especially not first thing in the morning, especially not for a workout. At least there was no way for Bill to find out Lee had spent the night on _Cloud Nine_ with Laura. He'd thought he would be able to get back to _Galactica_ in time, but there hadn't been any transport. 

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he entered the gym. 

His father had already started working with a punching bag. He did not pause when Lee entered. "You still want to do this?" He threw another series of punches at the bag.

"Yeah." Lee tried to be quick about changing, but he was still feeling off and that, he decided, was where it had all started going wrong. Not that he'd really expected to win sparring with the old man, but he'd thought he could do better than this. 

He really couldn't lose his edge over Laura, nor could he let his father intimidate him. Maybe that was the problem—he never could stand up to the Commander. 

Lee staggered as he took another punch. 

"Wake up, son." Bill pulled his mouth guard back in and fell into another stance. Lee matched him, determined to pull one over his father. He tried to remember what he'd learned at officer candidate school, how to block, how to deceive your opponent, but none of these strategies worked on his father.

"Your head's somewhere else," Bill said, helping him up once he'd knocked him to the floor. "Want to talk about it?" 

Lee hesitated, as he toweled off. He couldn't tell his father what was on his mind, that he couldn't stop thinking about Laura, that he'd never felt this way about anyone before. Part of him wished he could go to his father for advice, could trust him to take it the right way and, well, act like a father, but he didn't think he could just yet.

Lee shrugged. 

Bill sat down on the bench and indicated Lee should sit beside him. "Well, there's something I want to talk about." He bent to pick up his uniform pants and pulled something out of the pocket.

It was a folded newssheet. 

Lee's heart sank as he read the headline. 

"This is just gossip, Dad."

"I know," his father said coolly. "But just because it's newssheet gossip doesn't mean people aren't going to take it the wrong way, interpret it to mean something it doesn't. I know you want to help her understand the military, son, and that's admirable, but I think there are some things that are probably best left to me."

Lee frowned. "Are you telling me to stop being her advisor?"

Bill sighed. "I'm telling you to be careful."

 _If you only knew_ , Lee thought. "I appreciate that, Dad."

"I'm not sure you do, son." 

"Excuse me?" Lee turned to look him in the eye.

"You spent nearly the whole evening dancing with her. You have to realize how that looks. I can understand if you're attracted to her, but you have to see how you're acting."

Lee gaped at him. "I can't believe this." 

"Honestly, I can't either." His father stood, leaving Lee with the newssheet. "I would have thought I'd raised my son better than to make a fool of himself like this."

Lee had held his tongue until now, since he didn't really have a leg to stand on—his father hadn't reached the conclusion that Lee and Laura actually _were_ in a relationship and he wasn't going to do anything to lead him there. But this was perhaps worse—he thought Lee had some kind of pathetic crush.

"Maybe you would have," he spat, "if you'd actually raised me."

"This isn't the time to discuss that." 

"Then when is?" Lee threw his arms out to the side. "You have to face that you weren't there. As much as you wish you had been, you _weren't there_. You never taught me the things you think I should know. Where do you think I learned protocol? Where do you think I learned to box? Certainly not from you."

His father blinked quickly at him, clearly stunned. 

"I think you'd better cool down," he finally said. "And you're not to advise Roslin anymore. That's an order, Captain."

Lee couldn't say anything. He simply saluted. "Yes, sir."

**

Lee had sounded flustered on the phone, so when he walked into Laura's office on _Colonial One_ , she met him with a hug. 

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

He gave a dark laugh. "Not exactly."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh, no. What's wrong?" 

"You're not going to like it." Lee sat down heavily. "My father ordered me to stop being your advisor." He held up his hand when she opened her mouth. "No, he doesn't know about _that_. There are rumors, and he thinks they're just rumors. Apparently, dancing with you was unprofessional."

Laura bit her lip. She felt responsible for this. She should have urged him away after a couple of dances, but it was her own desire to be near him in their chance at a public setting that had gotten in the way of her knowledge of what was the right thing to do. She hadn't said anything to Lee, had just let him enjoy his moment of being with her but now she was regretting that. 

"It's an order?"

"He said it was." Lee sighed. "See, this is why I can't get along with him. He can _never_ make it just about us—it's always about Commander Adama and his CAG. It's not about William Adama and his son."

Laura crossed her arms over her chest. "He may be your commander, but I am your commander-in-chief. Surely that counts for something?" Ironically, this was exactly the sort of thing she needed advice on—it was a good thing her advisor was her.

He ran his hand through his hair. "Well. Maybe. I can definitely assure you that there is no precedent for anything like this."

Laura laughed. "You're probably right." She sighed. "I'll speak to him. I'll tell him how important it is that I have you on my staff."

"Thank you." He leaned in to kiss her. 

"I think that's enough for now," she said, though she savored the one kiss she allowed them. I have to get to _Galactica_ ; I have an appointment with Doctor Cottle."

Lee grasped her hand. "Do you want me to come with you?" 

"No, I don't think that's wise just now." She kissed him quickly. "But I promise I'll speak to your father. If it's just the advisor position he's concerned about…"

"Yes, I think so." 

"Then maybe I'll be able to make him see reason."

Lee snorted. "I'm not sure I'd count on that."

She laughed. "You'd be surprised. He's been much more agreeable lately."

**

After a shower and a shift in CIC, Bill was prepared to meet with Roslin.

The planet had complicated things, though.

For one thing, it meant Lee was there with her, looking at the maps. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't notice anything to arouse his suspicions. 

He wanted to get Roslin alone, though he wasn't sure this was the right time to have this conversation. 

"Commander," Roslin said, once Bill had dispatched Lee and Saul to put together the survey teams. "I was hoping we would get a chance to talk."

He began gathering up his papers. "If this is about Captain Adama, I think that can wait until after the survey teams return from Kobol." 

"Well, as it happens, that was exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

Bill took his glasses off. "With all due respect, Madam President, that's my CAG you're talking about. He's an officer under my command and his primary responsibility is to that position. I've allowed him to advise you in a secondary capacity and if I find that it's getting in the way of his primary duties, I'm well within my rights to order him to stop." 

Roslin considered this for a beat. "Commander, I know you two have a contentious relationship—"

"That doesn't factor into this. Our personal relationship and our professional relationship is entirely separate." 

"Maybe that's the problem."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" 

"He _is_ your son, Commander." 

"I'm aware of that," Bill said sharply. "And I hardly think this is all that you wanted to discuss with me."

"No," she said, "as a matter of fact, I wanted to impress upon you the importance of the Arrow of Apollo. If the scripture is true, it may be the key to finding Earth."

She had lost him with the first part of the conversation, but she had _really_ lost him bringing up scripture. 

"Absolutely not. I can't spare the resources to return to enemy-occupied territory in search of a... religious relic." 

"We won't be searching for it; we know exactly where it is."

Bill sighed. Years of friendship with Saul had taught him how carefully to tread the line between rationality and stepping on someone's religious beliefs and it was a struggle now. He wished his friend were here. 

"The risk is still too high," he said finally. "Especially for—" He stopped.

"Especially for?" 

He sighed. "I'm sorry. But I think we both have to agree here that our first priority is to survey the planet and investigate the possibility of settling." 

She gave him a thin smile and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Commander. I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I was out of line." She offered him her hand and they shook. "Good luck, Commander." 

He smiled. "Thank you, Madam President."

**

She found Lee a few hours later in a corridor outside the pilots' ready room. She felt somewhat guilty approaching him when he was so busy—two of the survey Raptors had been lost and she knew he needed to concentrate on his duties as CAG, but she desperately needed his help.

"Captain Apollo." 

He stopped and turned. "Madam President?"

"Where are you headed?" 

"I'm about to brief Starbuck on her mission." He paused, looking like he didn't want to tell her. "My father has agreed that the Raider will be used to get a nuke onto the Cylon baseship so we can rescue our people."

Laura froze. He wouldn't… "So we're going to lose it just like that?" 

"That's how it looks."

She mulled this over. This was so incredibly important and she needed to make sure every word, every action was chosen carefully. "Your father doesn't agree with me that the Arrow's important."

Lee nodded. "I didn't think he would."

Laura paused, making eye contact with him. They were alone in the corridor for a moment and she was going to take the risk. She was dying of cancer—and it was advancing, according to Cottle that morning—and she potentially held the fate of humanity in her hands. This was their only chance to find Earth. She had to lead her people to a home. Lee could make his choice. She certainly wouldn't blame him if he was unable or unwilling to help her, but she needed to know now, because she needed to act quickly.

"Lee," she said quietly, "I know he's your father, and I don't expect you to believe in the scriptures, but I truly believe that the Arrow of Apollo is necessary for us to find Earth. Whether or not you believe that, I want to impress upon you how important, _I_ believe it to be, because I want you to understand what I'm about to do."

"I know," he said. "I believe it's important, too. If you say it's important, there's no doubt in my mind that it's important."

"Will you help me?"

Lee nodded. "Always, Madam President."

The look in his eyes was so sincere, Laura had to blink back tears. She was so lucky to have this man at her side, as advisor or lover. "Then we have work to do."

**

"I thought you were just getting attached to that thing. Going to get rid of it so soon?"

Kara didn't look up from fooling with the Raider. "That's what your dad and Tigh say. It's the only way to do it. And he trusts me, so. It's me that's going." She patted the outside of the Raider. 

Lee smirked. "Seems kind of pointless, though. I mean, you have this piece of Cylon technology… you could go anywhere and blend right in with the Cylons…"

She stood up, wiping her hands on her jumpsuit. "What are you getting at, Lee?"

He shrugged. "Just seems like a waste."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 

"Get yourself cleaned up," he said. "The President wants to talk to you."

**

"This whole thing is driving me nuts," Bill said, collapsing onto the couch. 

"I thought you said Roslin was getting better."

"She was. Then she started in on this crap about Earth." He glanced at Saul. "Sorry."

Saul shrugged. "Don't worry about it." 

"Sit down," Bill said. "I want to ask you something."

Saul did as he was told. 

"Where's she coming from? From a religious perspective?"

Saul sighed. "Do you really want me to go into this?"

"I'll be nice. I promise." Bill slid closer and patted Saul's shoulder, indicating he should relax. "I'm interested. Educate me." 

"Okay." Saul leaned back in the couch. "Well, you know I'm from Aerilon, right? Southern continent, though, so I grew up following Ares. Absolutely to the letter—my dad, he was in the Sons of Ares. Real hardliner."

"But you're not that way?"

"Oh, no." Saul smirked. "Rejected all that as soon as I got out of the house. Still keep Ares as a patron but not that extreme. There's no such thing as prophecy, Bill. Pythia wrote history, nothing more." 

"So no Arrow?"

"No Arrow. Certainly no sense going back into radioactive enemy territory chasing after it."

Bill gave Saul's shoulder a hearty pat. "Glad we're on the same page." He checked his watch. "We should be heading for CIC."

"Hey." Saul touched Bill's shoulder as he made his way to the hatch. "Thanks. For listening."

Bill smiled. "Of course I'd listen." He was pleased that Saul had noticed the effort he'd made. 

Saul shook his head and pulled Bill into a kiss.

**

Lee paused in front of his father's quarters. He knew what he was about to do was big - mutiny, potentially - but he had to go through with it. He trusted Laura implicitly. If she said the Arrow would lead them to Earth, then he'd do everything in his power to get her that arrow.

But maybe he'd have another little talk with his father first. If he could make him see their side, that she knew what she was talking about...

He opened the hatch and stepped inside, shutting it behind him.

What he saw made him freeze.

His father was standing in the middle of the room, his arms wrapped around Saul Tigh's neck as they kissed. 

"What the frak are you doing?" he snapped.

They sprang apart, eyes wide.

"You hypocrite," Lee said in a low voice. "After everything you said to me about Laura, you and _him_?" 

His father stared at him. "Lee, I -"

"You can explain?" It did all make sense in a sick kind of way and as Lee ran through it, it all fell into place. "Oh my gods. Mom. You left Mom for him. You made him your XO even though he's a drunk who couldn't lead a kitchen crew. I always wondered why you kept him around but now I see."

Tigh looked pale and Lee's father looked angrier than he'd ever seen him.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said coldly.

"Oh? But you knew exactly what to say to me about Laura."

Bill flinched. "So you're admitting it?"

"Yes, I'm admitting it. Nowhere in the Fleet Code of Conduct does it say I can't have a relationship with a civilian, but last time I checked, yours violated several articles."

"Last time I checked, she was old enough to be your mother," Bill spat.

" _That's_ your problem with it?" 

"It's one of them. That she's taking advantage of her position—" 

"And you _aren't_?"

"Will both of you just _shut the frak up_?"

Bill and Lee both spun to look at Tigh. Lee had forgotten he was even there. 

"We've got work to do," he said sternly, scowling at both of them. "Let's do it. We can yak about this all we want later. We got men down on Kobol waiting for us."

"He's right," Bill said, looking like he'd come back into himself. "We'll talk about this later, son. We have work to do now."

Lee gave him a long, hard look. So that was how he was going to do this. "Yes, sir." He saluted smartly. If he hadn't already been firm in his decision, he was now.

**

"Sorry about that, Bill."

Bill nodded absently as the Marine opened the hatch and they stepped into CIC. "Yeah. It'll be okay."

Saul frowned. He hoped that didn't mean they were finished, just because Lee had walked in on them. Not like he could outright _ask_ in CIC.

Bill must have read his mind because he looked at Saul over the console. "We're fine." He reached for a pen and made a notation on the console. "I mean that."

Saul nodded, his tension relived some. He was trying to think of what else to say when Dee announced that Starbuck wanted to speak with Bill. 

Saul was only half listening to their conversation. Couldn't she move it along some? They had people down there who were waiting for rescue, for frak's sake! Whatever she was saying was making Bill frown even more, which was annoying Saul, too. Didn't she know he had a lot on his plate?

"Sir," Gaeta announced, "she's spinning up the FTL drive."

Bill sounded angry. He was talking in a low, tense voice, but Saul couldn't make out what he was saying.

"What the hell is she doing?" Saul snapped. He grabbed the other handset. "Apollo, _Galactica_. What is she doing?"

No response.

"Godsdammit, Apollo, come in."

"Sir, Starbuck just jumped away," Gaeta reported.

"Jumped away?" Saul looked at Bill. "Where to? This was supposed to be an autopilot test."

Bill opened his mouth to reply, but Dee cut him off.

"Commander? Apollo is… he's breaking out of CAP formation." 

"Well, where's headed?" Saul asked. 

Bill's face was unreadable. 

Dee cleared her throat. " _Colonial One_ , sir. Apollo is headed for _Colonial One_."


	12. Chapter 12

"Wish we had a real schematic of the thing," Saul muttered, unrolling the paper he'd had under his arm. "This is a military model, but _Heavy 798_ 's the same thing, just outfitted for civilian transport. Crowley makes both and they're essentially identical; they sell to the military and the airlines." 

Bill nodded. He didn't give a frak about Crowley or what ships they made. He wanted something done about this. He wanted to talk to his son, but _Heavy 798_ hadn't been answering their hails.

Saul was saying something about emergency exits and safety hatches that weren't present on the military models and not knowing where they might be here. He was leaning over the console, making chalk marks on the schematic. 

"We'll go in back here," he was saying. "I know they have civilians living in the hold, so we'd better go in the back."

Bill looked up at him. "We?"

"Well, yeah." Saul scratched the back of his neck. "I'm going to lead the strike team." 

"You going over my head on this?" 

Saul rolled his eyes. "Shh, Bill, it's not like that." He turned to look over his shoulder; there was nobody nearby. "I'm just trying to keep the pressure off you. When's the last time you slept?"

Bill shook his head. "That's not important. We gotta get this done. We get this taken care of, get back to Kobol, get our men." 

"Right." Saul laid his hand over Bill's and Bill hoped he wouldn't remove it. "I'll take care of this. You take care of Kobol. You thought of who to use yet?" 

Bill nodded. "Boomer and Racetrack." 

"You picking Boomer because—"

"She looks like she needs something to do." Bill reached for Saul's schematic and turned it to face him. "You picking some Marines?"

"Yeah. I was going to have Mathias's squad." He made a few tick marks with the chalk. "Thoughts on pilots?"

"Fuzzy?"

"Yeah, I'll use him." Saul went back to shuffling his papers.

Immediately, Bill's mind wandered. He'd lost Lee. How could he have lost Lee? Lee, his firstborn, his baby… They'd never had the best relationship—that was an understatement; they'd had a terrible relationship… 

But he'd thought that didn't extend to their professional relationship, that Lee respected the chain of command too much to… to mutiny. Because that's what this was; it was mutiny. 

"Bill? You there?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Bill rubbed his mouth and pushed his glasses up. "I'm here. Go round up your strike team; I'll get that SAR bird ready." 

"Yes, sir." 

**

Laura was waiting on the other side of the hatch when Lee docked and she met him with a hug.

"You're down here alone?" he said, when she released him.

"Not anymore." 

Lee shook his head. "We don't have much time; my father won't sit idly by for long." He put his hand on Laura's arm and gently urged her back up to her office. 

"You didn't have to do this, Lee." 

He stopped walking and turned her to face him. "We already talked about this, okay?" He brushed her hair back from her face. "I made my decision and I'll deal with the consequences. I trust you all the way." 

She gave him a grateful smile, allowing them a private moment alone before they ascended the stairs to the main level and her office. 

"This will be hard to defend," Lee said. "No doubt they're planning a strike as we speak."

She nodded. "All the civilians are down in the hold and I'm planning to ask my staff to join them." 

Lee nodded. "That's the best choice for now. They won't do anything to hurt anyone. It's you and me they're after, I'm afraid."

"Good. I don't want anyone else involved in this. Not anyone who doesn't have to be."

They entered her office and the staff all looked up. 

Laura took a deep breath. She was going to have to make her decision now, the decision she'd have to live with for however much time she had left. 

"Everyone, I'd like you to know that Commander Adama will very likely be sending troops to arrest Captain Apollo and myself. It seems he is willing to declare martial law rather than abide by the laws governing the office of the President." She waited for that to sink in. Even now that she'd said it, it didn't seem real. How could it have fallen apart so quickly? She had thought she and Adama had developed a good working relationship but that obviously wasn't the case. 

She continued. "I would like to encourage all of you to go below with the civilians. It will be much safer there and there's no need for you to endanger yourselves on my behalf." 

"We're not going anywhere," Billy said firmly. The others nodded. 

Laura glanced at Lee.

"Right," he said, motioning to her security. "They'll be on their way soon. If we're going to defend this ship, we have to start planning now."

**

Why did it have to be Lee? Saul fiddling anxiously with the comm gear attached to his vest. He'd never been able to predict Lee's actions like he could Bill's, or even Zak's. 

Now Zak, he'd been a reliable kid. Always willing to hold Saul's hand when crossing the street, always calling him Uncle Saul, right up until his death. Not like Lee, who'd been stiffly addressing Saul by rank since he was ten. 

Lee had always been pushing boundaries, testing limits. Saul cared about him because he was Bill's kid, but he hated all the stress he put his father through. But _mutiny_. He'd never have imagined that Lee's teenage rebellions might lead to mutiny. 

"Colonel, we have hard seal," Mathias reported.

Saul pushed his reminiscences from his mind. "Start cutting through." 

**

Lee hung up the phone on Laura's desk. "They're cutting through the hull." 

She nodded absently, her eyes roving about the cabin. He knew she was concerned about the safety of her staff. If he was going to have any chance of dissuading his father, he'd have to be serious about it. 

**

When Saul had been stationed on _Atlantia_ , he'd once been part of a strike team like this, through the halls of an empty ship. A group of terrorists had been holed up in one of the rooms with colonists bound for Troy. Saul's CO had been in his ear, ordering him to take the shot as soon as they'd cut through the hatch.

He'd done it and wound up hitting a young woman. She'd lived and his next shot had hit the Free Aerilon operative behind her, but he couldn't get that image out of his head as they moved through the ship.

It was why he was in front. They didn't need some excitable kid pulling his gun on a civilian, orders or no. He'd also had Fuzzy stay with the Raptor. On that mission, Saul was just supposed to have been the bus driver, but the plan had changed midway through. He wasn't about to let that happen. 

"Cut through the hatch," he ordered the marine with the blow torch. 

Saul still had his weapon holstered and he made sure Mathias's Marines had their guns at their sides.

"Nobody so much as _aims_ until I give the signal," he shouted over the sound of protesting metal. 

**

Laura's security team jumped into position in front of her desk and she stood up. Billy took a small step back, his eyes wide. She should never have let him stay. 

She glanced at Lee, who was right there with the rest of her security detail. He, too, had his weapon out and Laura's breath caught. She hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

**

Saul waited for the Marines to open the door and then he strode in. He had to get this over with as soon as he could—for Bill's sake. This had gone on too long already.

"Ms. Roslin," he said, putting his hands behind his back, "you are hereby relieved of your duties as President and are under arrest." 

She stared calmly at him and Saul fought off a wave of frustration. "Captain Adama," he continued, "you are also under arrest."

"Can I ask what the charges in my arrest are?" Roslin asked.

"During wartime the supreme commander of the Fleet retains certain powers pertaining to Presidential power." Damn, he'd forgotten the clause. "If the President is acting in a way the commander sees as detrimental to the war effort, he has the right to declare martial law and remove him or her from office."

"And is that what he has done?"

Saul swallowed hard. He'd been prepared to say that part and then arrest her. He wasn't prepared to answer questions. "You can ask him when you're in _Galactica_ 's brig."

She took a step forward around her desk. Saul noticed the Marines tense. "Colonel, I'm going to respectfully ask you to leave. This is an independent ship and we wish you no harm. We just want to return to Kobol and—"

"Look, lady, you're not going _anywhere_. You prepared to fight off the entire Cylon fleet to get back to your precious little planet?"

Lee moved so suddenly Saul couldn't react. Before he knew it, he had a gun to Saul's head. "You heard the lady, Colonel," he spat. "We're going to Kobol. So you can leave, or you can come with us. Your choice."

Saul tried to glare at him, but he couldn't really do that with a gun pressing into his forehead. "You're in over your head, kid." Lee had gone too far and he was done coddling him. "You prepared to shoot me? You wanna take a minute and think about the consequences there?" 

"I already have." Lee cocked his gun. 

He and Saul stared each other down, eye-to-eye. _Frak_ , Saul thought. _I taught you how to ride a bike._

That had been the last time Lee had willingly touched him, had thrown himself at Saul the first time he'd taken a bad spill, getting tears and snot and a little bit of blood all over Saul's shirt… 

And here he was, ready to shoot Saul between the eyes. 

Zak would never have done that. But then again, when it had been Zak's turn with the bike, he'd wailed after his first fall until Saul had put the training wheels back on.

"Your choice, Colonel," Lee repeated. His finger was on the trigger. Gods, it would destroy Bill if Lee did this. Didn't he care?

"Lee, that's enough." Roslin was suddenly next to them, easing Lee's hand down. Saul wasn't exactly happy until the gun was pointing straight at the floor and one of the Marines had taken it. 

"We'll go with you," she said. "I'll talk with Commander Adama. Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement."

"Knock yourself out," Saul muttered.

**

"He did _what_?" Bill's hand gripping the receiver was shaking. 

"I couldn't believe it either." Saul's voice sounded too far away. He wanted him back here, in his arms. "This isn't like him, Bill."

"I know." Bill sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out together." Saul's voice was so gentle, so reassuring, Bill almost believed it.

They would. They'd have to.

**

Saul went right to CIC once he'd made sure the prisoners were secure in the brig. 

"You want to talk to him?" he asked Bill.

"No." Bill pressed his knuckles against the console. He needed a rest, Saul observed, and badly. "Not yet. I want to see our men off Kobol first."

"You want to wait here?"

Bill seemed to consider it, a flash of hesitation moving across his face. "I think we'd better," he said, with obvious reluctance. "Later?"

Saul smiled. Bill definitely needed a little later after the day he'd had. "Later."

They weren't waiting long as it was; Boomer and Racetrack returned shortly. 

This was later, Saul decided. Bill looked absolutely exhausted and he needed to at least sleep, and what better way to assure he slept than to sleep next to him? 

Saul was only half paying attention as Bill shook hands with the pilots; he was making sure things were in good hands in CIC so he and Bill could take a few hours.

He didn't register the gun until it was too late. 

**

Blood. 

There was blood everywhere.

That was all Saul could see, the blood. Bill's blood all over his hands, pressing futilely into the wound, hoping to somehow stop the bleeding. And on top of all that, the roaring in his ears, the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't be about to lose Bill. Not right now. 

"Sir? Sir! Colonel Tigh!" 

Saul blinked. Ishay. "We need to get him out of here," she said. 

He stepped aside, watching numbly as they took Bill away. At least they hadn't said he was dead. They could do something for him… "Get him to Cottle."

Ishay paled. "Cottle's not on board, sir."

"Well, get him here!" Saul looked around frantically for someone who could do something about this. 

"I'll contact the _Rising Star_ ," Dee said, going back to her station. 

Saul was about to take a breath when Gaeta announced, "Dradis contact! It's the Cylons."

Saul gripped the console to keep himself up, leaving a bloody handprint. This couldn't be happening all at once. Not Bill. Not Bill. Not his Bill, not now. 

Gods, had it only been that morning that they'd woken up in bed together on _Cloud Nine_? He remembered them making love last night (well, it was a good twenty-four hours ago now). He could practically feel Bill's hand sliding down his bare back, his breath against his ear... 

"Sir?" What the hell was Kelly doing there? "We have to get out of here—the toasters."

"Right, right." He turned to Dee. "Order the fleet to jump away. Emergency coordinates."

"But Doc Cottle—"

Saul swallowed hard, tears pricking his eyes. This might be the hardest call he ever had to make and he was doing it now, at a time like this… 

"He'll have to meet us on the other side," he said gruffly. 

But he didn't. None of them did.

Which was why, after yelling at Gaeta for gods knew how long, Saul stormed off to his quarters, finally having realized completely the need to change his clothes. 

Ellen was asleep in his quarters—he hadn't quite made sense of her schedule and when she decided to sleep there. He didn't notice, since he'd been spending most nights sleeping with Bill. He knew she spent a lot of time on _Rising Star_ , but thankfully, since it meant she wasn't missing with the rest of the fleet, she was here tonight.

"Saul? What's happened?" The light came on. "Oh my gods, you're covered in blood!"

"I know." He stood there stiffly in the middle of the room, staring straight ahead. "Bill…"

"Did something happen to him?" She got out of bed, looking worried. 

Saul buried his face in his hands, heedless of the blood. "He was shot."

"Oh my Lords." Ellen ran to him and embraced him. "Is he…?" 

"He's alive. For now." He sighed and ran his hand over his head. He ran through the whole story, his voice shaking. 

"Oh, Saul. Can you find the fleet again?" She looked worried and Saul suddenly remembered what's-his-face who they were supposed to have dinner with. Steve. 

"We hope so. Gaeta's working on that now." 

"You have to get cleaned up," Ellen said, handing him a towel. He wiped his hands—damn, his ring was bloody. He took it off and set it on the desk, not looking for her reaction. He couldn't deal with that discussion right now. 

"Here," she said. "Let me help you." As soon as he was shirtless, she had fresh tanks for him and he got dressed quickly with Ellen handing him clothes. 

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked, as he fastened his belt. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He rubbed his lower back.

"Bill will pull through," she said, though she didn't look too confident of that. 

"I know." 

"He's tough, Saul, how long have you known him for?"

"Tough, maybe, but he's also fifty-seven years old and he just took two to the chest." His voice broke at the end of that sentence and she hugged him tightly while he sobbed into her shoulder.

"Come on, Saul, you can't give up on him yet."

"I'm not," he said, but he was conscious of how his voice shook when he said it. 

"Can you go see him before you're back on duty?"

"I shouldn't…"

"You have to." She looked him straight in the eyes. "This isn't just your commander who you're filling in for. You love him and he loves you." 

Saul's heart skipped a beat at that—he'd never quite articulated the thoughts that Bill might _love_ him. He hadn't thought much about what this all meant—he'd been operating under the assumption that they could buy it at any moment, so what was the point of thinking about it? 

But he knew for damn sure he loved Bill. 

"I'll go." He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and Ellen patted his back. 

"Anything I can do?"

He squeezed her arm. "No, you've been fine. Get some rest. I'll let you know as soon as we find them."

**

Something was going on. Lee could just sense it. There had been alarms, an announcement of an emergency jump, and then nothing. Where they back at Kobol for the rescue? Were they somewhere else? 

His father should have been down to talk to them by now. He had been anticipating that, had assumed the Old Man would be right there almost as soon as they were aboard, tearing him to shreds for his behavior. The fact that he was staying away was almost worse. 

He glanced over at Laura. She was sitting calmly on the bunk in her cell, seemingly lost in thought. He wished he had her composure, her ability to not let her surroundings affect her. 

"I'm sorry," he said abruptly.

She looked up. "What in the world are you sorry for, Captain?"

He shrugged. "For landing us in here. I'm the one who screwed the whole thing up."

"No, no, of course not." She got up and went to the bars that separated them. "You did nothing wrong. Really." 

Lee looked down at his hands, still cuffed. "They'll go to Kobol," he said confidently. "They'll be there a while. Maybe Kara will come back while we're there."

"Mm."

The hatch opened and they both looked. Racetrack.

"You did it?" he asked, without thinking. "You took out the baseship?"

She looked surprised, like she didn't know what he was talking about. "Yeah. Yeah. We did. Gods, that seems like a million years ago."

Something was wrong. He was sure now. "What happened?" he asked, with more authority than a prisoner was supposed to have. " _Tell me_."


	13. Chapter 13

Saul hesitated in the door to sickbay. He wanted to see Bill, _needed_ to see Bill, but he couldn't bring himself to walk over there. Walking over there would make it real. Part of him didn't want to see Bill looking this way, but he had to.

"Sir?" Ishay approached him as he entered. "What's Doc Cottle's ETA?"

Saul looked away from her and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't have one. We lost the fleet in the last jump." The truth, the honest truth was the best thing here.

"Lost?" She could barely get the word out.

"Yes, lost." He turned away from her. "Now, how is he?"

She took a deep, shaking breath. "He's lost a lot of blood and he isn't in too good a shape."

Saul let her talk, not listening to all the numbers and complicated words, as he stood by Bill's bedside. If he didn't know what all the medical mumbojumbo meant, the meaning was clear to look at him.

Bill was dying.

He looked about ten years older than he was - how was it possible that his hair seemed so gray? Saul took one of Bill's limp hands, wishing desperately for it to curl around his in that familiar tight squeeze. "Only just got used to you," he murmured under his breath, the tears beginning to well. "Can't lose you yet."

"Sir?"

Reluctantly, Saul let go of Bill's hand, knowing he couldn't do anything more in front of Ishay, couldn't say what he truly wanted to say.

"Do it," he said. "If Cottle would go in there, you'll go in there."

She hesitated and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Saul turned to go. He couldn't afford to look back at Bill, couldn't let his gaze linger after he'd held his hand and cried. He hated that he was still thinking like this, but regs were regs and when Bill woke up -- because he _would_ wake up -- he'd be pissed if Saul had done something to out them.

Yes, they'd find the fleet and get Bill a doctor. He wasn't going to even consider the alternative.

**

"I want to talk to Colonel Tigh."

"I'm sorry, sir," the guard said. "He can't leave CIC."

"Do you think he _would_ talk to you, Lee?" Laura asked.

Lee crossed his cell so that he was standing right next to her. The guard wasn't watching them closely but he still wanted to be quiet when they talked. "I would have shot him. And he's distraught over Dad--"

"He's _your_ father."

"They're sleeping together."

Laura's eyes went wide. "I'd known they were close, but I had no idea."

"Well, neither did I until today when I walked in on them...." He gave a snort of laughter. "And after what he said about us! What a hypocrite."

"Lee..."

"I know, I know. Today's been too long."

"Try to get some rest," she urged him. "He can't not see you forever."

Lee snorted. "Yes, he can. I've known Saul Tigh all my life. I know how long he can hold a grudge."

**

Ellen cleaned up as best she could, tossing Saul's ruined jacket and setting his now clean ring back on his desk. She wouldn't blame him if he decided to not put it back on. For all intents and purposes, they were no longer married and Ellen certainly wasn't keeping her vows. Hell, she'd been the first to break them seven years ago. It wasn't like there was a reason to formally divorce when there were no assets to divide up. The way he let her use his quarters implied she'd gotten the house. Did Saul care if they were still married in the eyes of the gods? They'd married before Bacchus but Ellen couldn't remember how you got divorced before Bacchus. Whose fault was it? She'd cheated first, but she was the one dedicated to Bacchus.

"It's fine," Ellen said, hoping the patron of their marriage would hear. "Don't bother."

She reached for the picture on Saul's desk, Bill in jeans and a windbreaker, sitting on a rock on some beach. He was smiling and the wind was ruffling his dark wavy hair... the perfect boyfriend's desk picture, though they hadn't been together when it was taken.

And then there was the picture of her and Saul, on top of the file cabinet, where Bill's picture had once been. She wondered when Saul had swapped them. At first, she hadn't believed them when they said they'd only started after the attacks, but after a few weeks of watching them, she did.

"Don't you dare die on him," she said. "He is crazy about you so you had better make it through this so you can make it worth his while."

The hatch opened and Ellen set the picture down quickly.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Bad." Saul slumped into his desk chair and laid his head down. "He won't make it if Gaeta's godsdamned plan doesn't work."

"Plan?"

"Yeah. He _says_ if he networks the computers, he'll be able to calculate the fleet's position."

"A network? But the Cylons--"

"I know. But it's our best chance. Bill's best chance." He still hadn't picked his head up off his desk and he said all this to Bill's photograph. "The _fleet's_ best chance. Frak, they're sitting ducks without us."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "He'll make it."

Saul lifted his head to face her. "Since when are you pulling for Bill?"

"Since he and I changed places."

Realization dawned on Saul's face. "Ellen..."

"No. We've been through this, Saul." She bent to hug him. "We're friends. I never had an ex I didn't become best friends with. Who else will spend all night with me in the strip club on _Zephyr_?"

That got him to smile. "Gotta find _Zephyr_ first."

"So go do that." She gave him a gentle shove to his feet.

"Yes, ma'am."

Ellen watched him go, a smile on her face. She'd be lying if she told herself she still didn't love him. But she could let him go.

**

Saul wasn't comfortable in command, but he was comfortable on a battlestar in crisis. Before he stepped into CIC, he took a deep breath. He wasn't sure where to draw strength from -- usually, it was Bill, but Bill was down in sickbay, needing all the strength he could get for himself.

Then there were the gods, but he wasn't sure they'd listen to him. He knew some people had conversations with the gods, but Saul had never known how to be sure they were listening.

He remembered the period after the war, when he'd been drifting. Taking vows of Artemis had crossed his mind, a quiet life of peace, but he'd thought he was supposed to wait for some sort of sign from his patron. Maybe Artemis thought he did a better job as the XO of _Galactica_. Maybe Artemis didn't exist. Saul would have to depend on himself if he wanted to get through this.

And there was one more thing he knew he needed.

Reluctantly, he turned and headed in the direction of the brig.

"How is my father?" Lee asked as soon as he entered.

"Give us the room," Saul told the guard.

He strode over to Lee's cell, then turned to Roslin. "Could you go over there?" he asked, nodding to the opposite corner of her cell. Lee began to protest, but Roslin moved without a word.

"If you want, Colonel, I can stick my fingers in my ears and sing."

He ignored her.

"Listen," he said to Lee. "I'm not letting you go. You're on parole. I am _ordering_ you to resume your duties as CAG during combat situations only. The rest of the time, you will remain here."

Lee looked like he might protest, but he nodded. "Sir."

Saul took the key and unlocked the cell, then Lee's cuffs. "Go on then, Captain. Skids up in fifteen minutes."

**

Laura hated feeling useless. She always hated watching Lee go off to fight, but she especially hated it when she was stuck here in the brig. It wasn't like she could normally help in her office on _Colonial One_ , or even when she was on _Galactica_ but she still felt like she was doing something. Here she was simply a prisoner, unable to do anything at all.

"Madam President?" The guard, a young corporal, was standing by her cell door. "Can I get you anything?"

Laura gave a small smile. "Thank you, Corporal, but I'm afraid I'm not the President anymore."

"You are," he said. He winced as the ship shook. "And I'm not the only one who feels that way."

"I appreciate that."

 _Galactica_ took another hit and Laura realized how young the guard really was.

"Will you pray with me?" he asked.

**

As soon as they'd confirmed they'd found the fleet, Saul went back to sickbay.

"Cottle's on his way," he said, by way of greeting to Ishay. "His shuttle should be here in fifteen." He sat down next to Bill's bed and took his hand. "I'll hang out here and talk to him when he comes."

He'd barely been there five minutes when a medic came to get him. "You're wanted, sir," he said. "It's Lieutenant Gaeta."

Saul went to the comm and took it. "XO." He glanced back at Bill.

"Sir, we've been boarded."

Saul was used to rolling with the punches. He was used to dealing with whatever crap came up. But he couldn't help but feel like he'd done something personally wrong.

Boarded. Motherfrakker. He felt his shoulders tense as the memories came back. He'd been sixteen, and he still remembered it like it was yesterday. What he'd seen still haunted his nightmares.

They had to find those toasters and get rid of them. He gave orders, one eye on Bill. He couldn't come back to CIC, they said. That way was blocked. He rested a contemplative hand on his gun, thinking he could make a run for it, but he decided against it. That was the smart thing to do. Be here for Bill. Because if he died, then...

He wasn't going to die.

The lights in sickbay flickered and Saul went back to sit next to Bill.

"When you get better," he murmured, "I'm taking you to _Cloud Nine_. We'll go to dinner with Ellen and her guy and then we'll get a room for the night...maybe a massage..." He was just rambling, speaking in a low voice, but he hoped some part of Bill could hear him. Maybe just hearing his voice would help. "I have no idea if you'd go for that, but I want to do something for you..."

**

Corporal Venner was even more nervous now that they'd heard that _Galactica_ had been boarded by the Cylons. Laura tried to reassure him, but she didn't know what to say when she wasn't sure at all herself. He seemed to respond well to her reassurances, so she kept them up. However, she was still scared, no question.

The hatch opened and they both froze.

"Lee!"

Lee hurried over to where she stood against the bars and took her hand. "We have to get you out of here." He wasn't paying any mind to the guard, or the group of pilots he had with him. He squeezed her hand. "How are you?"

"Let her out," Lee said firmly to Venner. "Let her out now."

"Lee, relax," she murmured.

He ignored her until Venner's trembling hand thrust the keys into Lee's and he unlocked the door. "We've been boarded." Under pressure, he was all CAG, speaking briskly. "We have to get you to sickbay; it's safe there. The corporal and I will accompany you." He began giving orders to the soldiers with him. Laura recognized one of them as Racetrack.

"Shouldn't you be with them?" Laura asked when Lee came back to her.

"First I'm going to take you to sick bay," he said. "Then I'll go back and join the fight. Your safety is my priority."

Lee stepped into the hallway first and looked both ways before motioning for Laura to follow him. Venner brought up the rear.

"Where are the Cylons now?" Laura asked.

"Do you hear the gunfire?"

There was another round of heavy gunfire and she nodded.

"Then we'll be moving away from that direction." Lee moved forward and Laura had to walk quickly to keep up.

Laura's heart was pounding in her chest. Despite spending this time running from the Cylons, she'd never before felt that her life was directly in danger. The idea that their ships could be blown up had seemed so abstract, while this... This seemed frighteningly direct.

She watched Lee, how cautious his movements were, how alert he was. At least with him here, she felt safe.

**

Saul was still sitting right next to Bill's bed when the power went out. Immediately, his gaze jerked to Bill's heart monitor. Mentally, he started counting down to when emergency power should kick in...

It didn't.

Ishay was over immediately. "I don't know what's going on, sir. The Cylons must have--"

"Gotten to light control." And he had to get to CIC. Mentally, he started planning out a route he could take without encountering the Cylons.

Or should he go to light control because he knew they were there?

The part of Saul that didn't feel like a senior officer was itching to get to the action; the part of Saul that felt some responsibility knew he should go to CIC. And the part of him that wanted to protect Bill...

"I'm going to CIC," he told Ishay. He allowed himself one last look at Bill, unholstered his weapon and left sickbay.

Saul couldn't remember the last time he'd discharged his weapon on the job. It had to have been more than ten years ago. Before _Valkyrie_. Of course, he'd kept up with it, gone to the range, but target practice was just like logging flight hours--something he did because he was obligated to, not because he was consciously trying to keep his skills sharp because there was a real threat of having to use them.

He froze when he heard gunfire. That was the direction he needed to go.

Ah, well. He cocked his gun. He'd do what he had to.

**

Lee honestly didn't know what to do. He wanted to appear confident in himself because of Laura and because of Venner, but he really wasn't. He was nervous. He'd never been in direct combat. He'd seen action in his Viper and there'd been the incidents on _Astral Queen_ and _Cloud Nine_ but he'd never been in a situation like this, though he'd trained for it, had heard from veterans of the first Cylon war.

 _Like Tigh_ , he thought. _Tigh was on a ship that was boarded._

Lee wasn't prepared, then, to turn the corner and practically run right into a Cylon.

**

Saul heard the shooting and screaming and started to run. He wasn't the XO anymore; he was a sixteen-year-old gunner's mate with a gun he'd never shot thrust into his hands and told to kill as many toasters as he could before they got him. He tore down the hallway, not conscious of his surroundings.

He could hear the clanking now, someone shouting, the red of its eye, that frakking hum...

There were people in front of him, fleeing the Cylons, so Saul yelled, "Get out of the way!" and opened fire.

Belatedly, he realized that the people included Lee and Roslin. "Come on!" he barked and Lee seemed to come to his senses. He raised his gun, too, and so did the marine Saul had only just noticed. At the moment, his brain wouldn't supply the kid's name, but he had a rifle. Good.

The toaster was just inches from them and Roslin moved behind Lee. That was good, too. She wasn't in the way.

Somewhere else in Saul's mind, he was taking count of his bullets and how many he had left and where Lee was and the kid--Venner, that was his name. This was a part of his brain that hadn't been used in a long time, but he couldn't think about that now...

The toaster jerked under the hail of bullets and Saul felt something whiz by, clipping his cheek. There was a rush of hot blood across his face and the Cylon started firing wildly at the ceiling, disabled.

 _Finish him_ , Saul thought, inching forward and then, they did. The Cylon staggered back and fell, silent. Saul realized for the past half-minute, he'd been trying to fire an empty gun. He glanced at Lee and they stared at each other.

Suddenly, Lee was six years old and vulnerable, fear written on his face. Before he'd outgrown Saul, before he'd started to resent his father, when monsters had been real and Saul could do something about it.

Saul wiped the blood from his stinging cheek; more quickly replaced it. "You okay, Lee?"

"I'm fine. Yeah." He looked shaken. Saul wiped his hands on his pants. "How many more? You know?"

"No. I was on my way to CIC."

"I was going to sickbay." Lee jerked his head toward Roslin. "They were getting close to the brig."

Saul knew he should have sent them back; they were prisoners, but the guard looked too petrified to accompany them. "Go on," he said, jabbing his thumb toward sickbay. "Venner, you escort the prisoner. Apollo, with me."

"You're bleeding."

Saul scowled and wiped his hand over it again. It was starting to clot. "Never mind that. We've got to get to CIC."


	14. Chapter 14

The power was still off when Venner brought Laura to sickbay. The once-familiar surroundings looked surreal in darkness, especially without the commanding presence of Doc Cottle. She turned to Venner and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine here, Corporal. Be where you need to be."

"Are you sure, Madam President?" She could tell he was nervous from his eyes.

"I'm sure. Go with the gods."

He smiled and nodded, then left. Laura paused and said a short prayer for his safety.

"Madam President?" _Billy_.

"Oh, Billy, I'm so sorry." She turned to him. She had not stopped to wonder, before, where he was. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." He didn't look all right, though. He looked terrified. "Petty Officer Dualla brought me here… I have your medicine."

"Thank you." She took the pills from him. It seemed so strange that he was thinking of her even when she'd forgotten to think of herself. "Why don't you go have a seat? Rest."

Ordinarily, he would have protested, but he must have really been shaken because he did as he was told without arguing. Laura supposed she ought to take something.

As she was looking for a glass of water, she passed Adama's bed. In all the chaos, she'd forgotten about him. She approached slowly, not wanting to let any of the staff think she meant him harm, but no one seemed to see her.

She was no fan of Adama's, especially not now, but that certainly didn't mean she wished him ill. For all his flaws, he was Lee's father and the leader of the Fleet—they would never have been able to get this far without his support, and even though that support was now in jeopardy, she wanted nothing more than for him to survive and recover so that they could talk out their differences like adults.

She really shouldn't have been surprised he and Tigh were lovers. They seemed to play off each other rather like she and Lee did. And she couldn't blame Tigh for the way he was acting—if this were Lee lying there… well, Laura hoped she'd be able to keep her wits about her, but she was also glad she hadn't had to find out.

"Come on," she said softly, wrapping her arms around herself and sitting in the chair by Adama's bed. "Let's wait for them to come back to us."

**

 _Dangerous_.

 _Unfit for command_.

Saul wasn't stupid.

He knew what they were saying, the civilians, the men. _His_ men.

Saul rubbed his face with the towel. Bill had had surgery, but he was still critical. Gods. He was barely processing anything else right now.

They'd fired at civilians for throwing coffee. Coffee.

Saul brushed lather over his cheeks, hating the man he saw in the mirror. A drunk and a frakup. What would Bill say when he woke up? _If_ he woke up.

The razor slipped and opened up the wound Saul had sustained earlier. He swore and reached for a towel. He couldn't even _shave_ , that was how incompetent he was.

"Are you all right, Saul?" Ellen came into the head. When had she even gotten here?

"I'm fine," Saul muttered. It wasn't a deep wound. He'd live.

She touched his shoulder. "You don't seem fine."

He sighed, unable to think of a comeback. "I just keep frakking up at every turn." He snapped his towel. "You know, they're acting like martial law was my idea… _Bill_ did that."

"I know."

" _Because_ ," Saul went on. "Something about reserved powers and the President's actions… who the frak knows?"

"They're the _press_ , Saul. They're just looking for something to complain about."

Saul snorted. "Okay, so they'll complain about me. And Roslin. They're acting like she's some kind of… some kind of god."

Ellen started to rub his shoulders. She'd always been good at relieving his tension like this. "You're doing the best you can. Laura Roslin would be a thorn in Bill's side, too. It's not about what you did or didn't do."

"I sure hope so." He heaved another sigh.

"You have to keep it together," Ellen said. "Bill wouldn't want you to fall apart. Especially if he dies."

Saul spun around. "What?"

"Come on, Saul." She put her hands on her hips. "You know as well as I do that if he dies, you'll have to be in command. You'll have to be in command of this ship. You'll have to lead the fleet. And he wouldn't want anyone else to do it. You're his XO, the one he chose."

Saul squirmed under her gaze. "Still…"

"I mean, I hope he won't die. I'm just saying what if he does?"

Saul looked away, but he only saw himself and Ellen in the mirror.

"He's not gonna die," he said firmly.

He didn't believe himself.

**

Lee paced in his cell, anxious and agitated. He had never expected Tigh to let him out every time he needed to be on duty, but there had still been that optimistic part of him that had hoped he wouldn't be totally incompetent. Lee had been forced to get the guard to ask Racetrack to let him out the first time Tigh had forgotten, and now, they had worked out a system for her to collect him when he needed to be on duty.

"Are you all right, Lee?" Laura asked. She was sitting on her bunk and had been for a long time. Lee suspected she wasn't feeling well.

He sighed, not wanting to burden her with all this. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Laura glanced at Venner, then turned back to Lee. Ever since the boarding incident, they felt comfortable speaking a bit more freely around Venner, as opposed to some of the other guards—Sergeant Carroll, for example, was very close to Tigh.

"Have you had an update on your father's condition?"

Lee ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Cottle talked to me. He made it through surgery but he's still critical."

Laura frowned. "I am so sorry."

"I know. He's strong. He'll make it." Lee didn't add that they couldn't afford for him not to make it.

This wasn't sustainable. Tigh wasn't fit for command, not in this state. Lee would grudgingly acknowledge he was a good officer, with a good head for strategy and a hard line, but that was with Bill to back him up. Tigh alone didn't work, and if Bill died, he'd be even more of a mess.

"We have to get back to Kobol," Lee said. "What if Kara's there right now?"

Laura crossed her arms and turned toward him. "I've been thinking about that ever since we left," she said. "Lee... we have to get out of here."

"I know." Lee sat down. "We need help."

**

Saul was in his quarters, sprawled in his desk chair, contemplating the bottle. He reached for it, wrapped his hand around it, then let go.

Then he grabbed it and brought it up to his lips. The comm buzzed. He grabbed the receiver.

"XO."

It was Gaeta. "You'd better get up here, sir."

Saul jumped up, then set the bottle down and shrugged on his jacket.

"Sir, I thought you should know right away," Gaeta said without preamble when Saul arrived in CIC. "Captain Adama and Pres… Ms. Roslin are gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

Gaeta's gaze flicked to the monitor. "They stole a Raptor."

Saul stormed over to the console. "Then where the frak are they?"

**

Everything felt heavy. That was Bill's first groggy thought. His chest felt like it had been split open.

Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. He could see lights, dimly. Sickbay?

The beep of machines. Bill took a breath until it was painful, then exhaled with a wheeze.

Someone was holding his hand.

He looked down. There was a bald head resting on the edge of the bed by Bill's right side. Gingerly, Bill reached up with his left and brushed the tips of his fingers across Saul's scalp.

Saul snuffled awake. "Wha-what?" Then he realized what had awakened him. "Bill? Oh… oh, gods." He pushed himself up, leaning over Bill. "You're awake." He pressed a shaking kiss to Bill's lips, ignoring the oxygen tube. "Thank the gods. Can you talk?"

Bill coughed. "What happened?"

Saul's face twisted. "A lot. I frakked things up real bad."

"Is _Galactica_ still whole?"

"Yeah."

"Is the fleet still whole?"

"Yeah."

Bill closed his eyes. "Then you couldn't have frakked up too much." He tried to laugh, but it just came out as a dry heave. Cottle was on them instantly.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he said, narrowing his eyes at Saul.

"I'll come back," Saul said to Bill. "And tell you everything."

**

"I'm sorry it's not much," Lee said, covering Laura with a blanket he'd taken from the Raptor's emergency survival kit.

She yawned and shifted on the squeaky leather couch that had once been the _Astral Queen_ 's warden's office. "It's not a problem, Lee. You need to rest, too. You've done enough today."

And he had—he had come up with a plan to get them off _Galactica_ with the help of Venner and Racetrack, without getting either of them in trouble. He'd even coordinated with Tom Zarek somehow—Laura wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly how—to get them safely to the _Astral Queen_ after changing ships and shuttles so often she'd lost count.

"I _am_ resting," Lee said. He sat down in the desk chair and leaned back. "I'm also keeping an eye on things."

Laura shook her head and drew the blanket up to her chin, trying to get as comfortable as she could. "What made you reach out to Tom Zarek?"

"He was the only one I thought could help us. He certainly isn't going to hold with Tigh declaring martial law."

"Mm."

"I mean, I can't say I _trust_ him, but he'll get us back to Kobol. I trust him to get us some support."

"I'm just… surprised." She sat up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and beckoned for Lee to come sit next to her. "I didn't know you were still in contact with him."

Lee laughed and kissed her. "I'm not, not really. I just didn't think we had another choice."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're probably right. I just wish Colonel Tigh were more understanding."

Lee snorted. "I've known him all my life. He'll never budge." He began stroking her hair. "Enough about him. How do _you_ feel?"

"I'm tired. _Normal_ tired," she added, when she noticed him tense. "And thanks to Billy, I have enough chamalla to last me a good while."

"That's good." Lee was silent and Laura hoped he wasn't wallowing in worry. There was nothing they could do about her cancer, and if she _was_ the dying leader… well, maybe it didn't matter.

"We should try to get some sleep," Laura said. When he opened his mouth to protest her use of _we_ , she shook her head. "You've been up for how long? I didn't notice you sleeping in the brig."

"I'm just going to rest my eyes," he said.

She laughed. "That's all I ask."

He was soon asleep and Laura let herself drift off a few moments later, lulled by his even breathing.

**

Saul returned to sickbay with a heavy heart. In the hours since he'd left Bill to rest, he'd been unable to sleep for worry over how he'd take the news of Lee's disappearance. Saul was fully prepared for full rejection, was prepared to be completely honest about his failures.

That was the thing he'd been most afraid of when he'd started a relationship with Bill—that he'd screw something up on the job and make Bill hate him. It had always been a fear, but now that he and Bill had something more, it loomed even larger.

He found Bill sitting up in bed, finishing a light breakfast. "Hey," he said, poking his head around the isolation curtain.

"Hey." Bill took a sip of water and beckoned him in. "Come in and give me a sit rep. I want to know what the hell's going on."

Saul sighed and sat down in the chair by Bill's bed. "I'll tell you." Haltingly, he went through the whole story. He fought back tears as he described the immediate aftermath of Bill's shooting, how he'd lost the fleet, nearly costing Bill his life.

Bill listened impassively, not reacting until Saul had reached the end.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said softly. "I can't imagine what I'd do if our positions were reversed."

Saul lowered his gaze.

"Do you have any idea where Lee is now?"

Saul shook his head.

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "You had nothing to do with that, Saul. He made his own choices."

"You're right." Saul still wasn't totally convinced.

Bill closed his eyes and lay back. "You know he's been making his own bad choices since he was eight years old. And if there's anyone he won't listen to, it's you."

"Could have kept him away from Roslin." Saul scratched his head.

"He'd already made his choice. There was nothing you could have done."

Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "I just wish he trusted me."

Bill sighed. "It's not you, Saul, it's me. We started losing him with the divorce. Roslin just completed the process." He pushed himself up and for a second, Saul thought he was getting out of bed. "Right now, we need to concentrate on what we've got. Remind people that with no President, we are in charge."

He _was_ getting out of bed.

"No, Bill." Saul put his hands on his shoulders. "Cottle's going to kill me if you get up now."

Bill must have truly been tired because he lay back down. "I know."

That was when they heard the shots.

**

Bill lay in his bed in sickbay, staring at the ceiling. Saul had come back to explain what had happened—Cally had shot Boomer.

Boomer was dead.

Saul said he'd sent Cally to the brig, which Bill agreed was the right thing to do.

_Boomer was dead._

He only barely remembered being shot, hadn't even had time to reflect on the fact that she was a Cylon. And now she was dead.

He closed his eyes, listened to Saul shift in his chair.

"You want me to go, Bill?" Saul whispered. The lights were off and technically, he wasn't supposed to be here, but Cottle hadn't come to kick him out.

"No," Bill said. "I want you to stay."

He just didn't understand. How could Boomer be a Cylon?

How could she have been a Cylon the whole time?

"Two years," he murmured. "She was here for two years. How could we not have known?"

"I don't know. Didn't pay attention? Maybe she lulled us into a false sense of security… we never would have suspected the Cylons would look like us now."

"I know." Bill paused. "Could Tyrol have known?"

Saul sighed. "I guess not."

"How could you not know?" Bill opened his eyes and looked up at Saul. "How could you not know?"

"You'd think you'd know. I mean..." Saul shook his head. "Don't even want to think about it."

Bill was silent. There was too much in his head. He felt betrayed, fooled… but he also felt a keen sense of loss. Not for what she was, but for the person he'd thought she was.

"She said she owed me one," he said.

Saul didn't say anything and at first, when Bill heard him shifting, he thought he was going to leave, until he felt the mattress dip.

"Cottle's really going to kill me," Saul said, slipping his arm around Bill's shoulders. Thankfully, Bill was free of most of the tubes that were stuck in him. With Saul's arm around him, he could think about getting back to work.

Damn, if he wasn't so tired. He needed to get up, be back in CIC, let the crew see him…

He was only vaguely aware of Saul stroking his hair, and his last thought was that he hoped Saul would stay there until he'd fallen asleep.

**

Lee was awake. He knew he'd fallen asleep, and he wasn't sure if it had been for hours or minutes. He couldn't look at his watch because Laura was asleep, clutching his arm.

He could hear voices outside the office, Zarek's people. The blinds on the door were open just enough to send strips of light across the floor and the other end of the couch and as long as he was awake, Lee figured he'd better keep an eye on the door.

Not that he didn't trust Zarek's guys.

He glanced down at Laura. She was fast asleep, and she must have been exhausted if she was able to fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position. How long had it been since they'd been arrested? Two days? Three?

How long had his father been in a coma?

Was he even still alive?

Lee let out a bigger breath than he'd intended and Laura stirred but didn't wake. Maybe he could put some feelers out tomorrow. Find out his father's condition.

He hadn't let himself think too hard about that, what it meant that he'd left him behind. He supposed this would just be one more disappointment for Bill Adama to wake up to.

Lee let his head fall back against the couch and waited for morning.


	15. Chapter 15

"'The wind bit into our skin through our heavy flight suits. I knew there was no way we could last long like this. I told Link to close the hatch. 'We'll have to huddle for warmth and wait for the SAR bird,' I said. My ECO blushed—and quite prettily, too. 'If you say so, sir,' he said.'" 

"That's not what it says." Bill opened his eyes. 

"I'm reading it, aren't I?" Saul held up the book, a fat paperback called _Stranded!_ "You want me to skip the sex scene?" 

Bill pillowed his hands behind his head. "No. Read the sex scene." It was the closest they'd get, with Cottle's order that he couldn't have sex for six weeks. He'd hoped to head off further sex instructions by protesting that he certainly wasn't having any, but Cottle had plowed right through with far too many details, including a brochure called _Regaining Intimacy_ , which Bill had been unable to throw away before Saul had gotten his hands on it and insisted that they wait for Cottle to clear Bill before doing… certain things. Bill wasn't looking forward to that appointment. 

They were doing a lot of cuddling and kissing, though, and Saul kept quoting lines from the brochure about how important this was, to get comfortable together again. Bill had to admit he liked hearing him talk like that, about how they were a couple.

He opened his eyes again and watched Saul as he read. He was sitting in a chair by Bill's rack and this was their bedtime story. Saul had been reading a few chapters of the cheap thriller every time he came to sickbay and they were continuing it now that Bill had been discharged. 

These few days of downtime had let him relax—he'd been briefed on the situation in the fleet, but Saul had been insistent that Bill do nothing yet. 

"You sleepy?" Saul asked, laying the book aside. 

"A bit."

Saul kissed him. "Okay. I'll come to bed in a minute."

Bill closed his eyes as he waited for Saul to brush his teeth. 

"I want to go back on duty tomorrow," he said when Saul came out of the head. 

"Tomorrow?" Saul asked, pulling on the ratty old T-shirt he wore to bed. "Isn't that a little soon?"

"It's been a week. I can handle things now." Bill tried to sit up but couldn't. Being tired enough to fall asleep at 2100 was damned frustrating. "We need to be visible. You can't be running the fleet by yourself and taking care of me." 

"I don't mind." Saul got into bed and pulled the blanket over them.

Bill sighed. "No, Saul." He cupped his cheek. "This is like when the Cylons kept coming. You can't do all this yourself just to give me a chance to rest. We're partners. We do it together." He rested his forehead against Saul's. "Okay?"

"Okay." Saul kissed him. "I love you, you know." 

Bill felt a smile spread across his face. He'd been agonizing over the right opportunity to say it—he'd first wanted to on _Cloud Nine_ , after they had made love for the first time, but so much had happened since then. In the weeks they had been together, his feelings for Saul had blossomed into something he'd never expected. He'd never imagined before the attacks that they might be together, but now, he couldn't imagine _not_ being with Saul. He nuzzled at Saul's neck.

"I love you, too." 

Bill toyed with the hem of Saul's T-shirt, sliding his hand up to skim across the smooth skin of his stomach. 

"Don't go getting ideas." Saul turned the light off and pulled Bill's arm out from under his shirt, depositing it around his waist. "Could you even get it up?" 

Bill scowled, but didn't answer. 

Saul kissed him again. "I'm sorry. But you know what I mean. We'll get there, promise. We just have to work on it." 

Bill sighed and lay down, glad when Saul snuggled closer. At least he could hold him, this man who had done so much for him, who was still doing so much for him. 

"So I guess you feel okay?" Saul asked.

"I feel fine." Bill shifted his arms into a more comfortable position. "Cottle said I could start with some light weights, so I'm going to do that. And I'm going back on duty tomorrow."

Saul brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead. "I guess it's not worth me trying to dissuade you, is it?" 

"Nope." 

Saul chuckled. "Should've known." 

**

Lee left the freezer after Laura recorded her message. He didn't really want to leave her alone with Zarek, but he needed time to think, outside of the chill. 

At least his father was alive. He was surprised by how relieved he felt about this. He'd thought that when he'd left _Galactica_ , he'd made peace with the idea that he might never see his father alive again. And now, he was not only alive but back in command. He couldn't muster up the hostile feelings he'd expected to come, even for Tigh. 

_He must be so happy_. Lee laughed. 

"What's funny?" Laura was standing behind him, her hands stuck in her sweater pockets.

"Oh, it's nothing." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "I was just thinking… how glad I was my father is alive." That seemed like an odd thing to laugh at but it would have to be a sufficient explanation. 

"So am I." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It makes this much easier, to not think your last conversation with him was an angry one." 

"You're right." His shoulders slumped, glad she understood. "What did you end up saying?" 

"I played the religious card." She smiled. "I just outlined the prophecy and described the position we were in. I invited anyone willing to come to join us at Kobol." 

Lee nodded. The worry about his father gone, he was feeling more like the CAG again. "Okay. I'll get ready for that, go to the bridge and speak to Meier." He stepped away from the wall. "Do you want to come with me, or talk to Zarek?" 

"I'll talk to Zarek." She gave his hand a little squeeze. "Have to keep an eye on him." 

The smile she gave reminded Lee of exactly why he was doing this.

**

Zarek emerged from the freezer so soon after Lee had left that Laura's first thought was he had been listening to them. 

That had to be impossible, though—the door had to be six inches thick. 

"That was quite a speech."

Laura smiled. "I knew the words would come eventually." 

"At least I can admire your principles," he said. "Faith is a powerful tool, especially in such times of upheaval. I'm not surprised people are turning to the gods." 

"You make it sound like I'm trying to get peoples' attention by any means necessary."

Zarek laughed. "Isn't that what politics is, Madam President? It's what you say once you _have_ their attention that counts." He nodded at her and then set off in the direction Lee had gone.

**

Bill stalked out of CIC as soon as the ships had jumped away, and Saul waited a few minutes before following. He knew from experience that Bill required time to stew sometimes; he also knew that, being partially responsible for this, he couldn't very well offer up comfort right away. 

Instead, he started at the Dradis monitor, as if he could make them come back through sheer force of will. 

"Well, at least we know where they are now," he said to no one in particular. 

Gaeta didn't respond. That was probably enough scaring the crew for one day. Saul left CIC and took a detour to his quarters for a bit of fortification before he went to see Bill.

He had the weights out. 

"Looking good," Saul said, jamming his hands in his pockets and striding over to where Bill was. 

Bill winced. "I was kind of hoping I could get away without doing this in front of you."

Saul frowned. "You want me to go?'

"It's not that." Bill put the weights on his desk and wiped his face on the towel. "I just feel like a mess with my shirt off. Thought I could preserve a little mystery, that's all." 

Saul laughed and sat down in one of the armchairs. "You're fine, Bill. You looked worse when I saw you before."

Bill rolled his eyes and pulled his tanks on. "Thanks."

"We want to do anything about this Roslin thing?" 

Bill's shoulders stiffened. "Let them go. I never would have expected Lee to get involved with a bunch of religious nuts. I guess that happens when you don't think with your head."

"Mmhm." Saul drummed his fingers on his thigh. 

"Not that I'm saying all religious people are nuts." Bill eased himself down in the other chair. "If everyone was like you, we wouldn't have this problem."

Saul snorted. "If everyone was like me, we wouldn't have this institution." 

Bill laughed, but Saul couldn't shake the feeling that neither of them was totally okay with the way things had played out here.

**

Lee leaned against the observation window on the _Astral Queen_ , looking at the planet. It still amazed him that that little world had had such an impact on their lives in such a short time. He'd never believed in Kobol, never really believed in anything, but here it was, right in front of him.

Could he really deny everything with that kind of evidence? He'd been down there, seen the ruins. Now he was about to return because the woman he loved thought she was the subject of a prophecy.

No wonder his father thought he was crazy. 

"Hey, you." 

Lee jumped. "Kara?" 

She smirked. "Expecting somebody else? Last I saw the President, she was talking to the Cylon." 

"Oh gods." Lee sighed and sat down. "I should probably go down there and…"

"I think she can hold her own. She was doing pretty well when I left." She turned to face him. "You have to tell me what happened, Lee. I went along with this because you trust Roslin and I trust you, but you have to tell me everything." 

Lee blanched. _Everything_?

He searched for the first thing that came to mind. "My father's sleeping with Tigh. That's what set this whole thing off. I walked in on them." 

Kara's reaction was exactly the opposite reaction he had expected her to have.

She laughed. "Oh, Lee, I knew that. Have you seen the way they look at each other? Your dad is almost as bad as you and Tigh is even worse." 

"As bad as me?" 

She grinned. "Don't think I don't know about you and Roslin." 

Lee slumped back in his seat. "Am I that bad?" 

"Kind of. But don't worry. Maybe I just noticed because it's you." 

That wasn't terribly comforting, but he'd take it. He went on to explain everything else that had happened, watching Kara's face as he spoke 

When he finished, she said, "So you never _saw_ your dad?"

"No. But he's fine." Lee said this with more conviction than he actually felt. 

She didn't say anything.

"He's back in _command_ , Kara. That means he's okay." 

"He's your _dad_ , Lee." She shook her head. "Are you planning to go back at all?" 

"I guess after we find what we're looking for… then we'll be proved right." He paused. "Do _you_ know what this is all about?" 

"I understand it." Her hand went to the case holding the arrow. "But I can't believe you just left the fleet like that." 

"Aren't you upset that he lied about Earth?" 

She spun on him. "He could have _died_ , Lee. What if he _did_ die?" 

Lee opened his mouth but nothing came out. "He didn't." 

She stood up. "And thank the gods for that."

**

"We need to talk," Saul said, without preamble, when he entered Bill's quarters. 

"Sure." Bill took another walnut from the dish and cracked it. 

"Hope you're gonna eat those, by the way," Saul added, dragging the other desk chair around. "'S a waste." He took one and popped it into his mouth.

Bill chuckled. "Guess they can take the irrigation farmer out of Aerilon—" _crack_ "—but they can't take Aerilon out of the irrigation farmer." 

Saul snorted. "But seriously. I want to talk about the CAG situation." 

"There's nothing to talk about." _Crack_. "Catman's our new CAG." 

"Oh for Hera's sake, will you frakking stop?" Saul grabbed his wrist. Bill gave him the evil eye and he let go. "Sorry. I just think… You weren't there on the wireless with him. I had to frakking talk him through the whole godsdamn thing. It was like being LSO again." 

Bill popped a nut into his mouth. "Are you my XO or my boyfriend today?" 

"Oh come on, Bill," Saul snapped. "What the hell does that matter? Remember what you said about partners?" 

"And you have to remember I'm still your commander." 

"Trust me. I do. The whole time you were out, I thought you'd want nothing to do with me." He shook his head. "I prayed to every god I could think of. My patrons, _your_ patrons. Asclepius. I even prayed to Laura frakking Roslin." Saul dropped his head. "And wouldn't you know that was when you woke up?" 

Bill reached for another nut. "Is that what this is about? You taking her side? Don't tell me you're turning into one of those."

"I'm _not_. I'm just telling you what happened." 

Bill rolled his eyes. "So you think she's some kind of prophet now? You want to jaunt off to Kobol, be my guest." 

"That's not what I'm saying." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying that maybe we went about that the wrong way… I know you want to see Lee. You know Catman won't be half as good a CAG as he is."

Bill cracked another nut. "Don't you have a training flight to supervise? Since we seem to be missing a flight instructor." 

Saul sighed heavily and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll get right on that, sir." 

Bill watched him go, reaching for another nut when he heard the hatch swing shut. Even Saul was turning on him. 

**

The air was wet, heavy with the promise of rain that never fell. It had been like this all day as they'd been trekking through the forest and he almost wanted it to rain to get the thickness out of the air.

"How are you doing, Madam President?" he called to Laura.

"I'm doing well, Captain, thank you." She caught up to him. "I just don't have the military training that you do so I may be a little slow." She smiled. "But I'll keep up." 

"Well, don't overtax yourself." He allowed himself to put a hand on her arm and lean in close. "Did you take your medicine?" 

"Yes, Lee, I did." Her smile grew broader. "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself." 

"I know." He let go and started continuing on ahead. "I just like to make sure."

Lee scanned the rest of their party. Tom Zarek was ahead of him, far enough that he hadn't heard their exchange, but he knew they'd have to be much more careful, in as close quarters as they were. The others were behind them, Elosha not far behind Laura. Lee had wanted to keep the Cylon in front of him, but Kara had said she'd keep an eye on her herself. Lee didn't trust it as far as he could throw it—it looked just like the one that had shot his father—but he trusted Kara. 

"Any idea how far we have left to go?" Lee called back.

"The Gates of Hera should be another day's walk from here," the Cylon said. "I think we should make camp for the night." 

Lee turned to catch Kara's eye; she seemed to agree. 

"Okay." Lee took in their surroundings. They were on a ridge, somewhat exposed, but if they moved back into the tree line, they should be okay. 

He sighed. He didn't like to rely on a Cylon's advice, but it was all they had to go on.

**

A night in his own quarters had made Saul grumpy. He didn't like fighting with Bill and that was weighing on him, too. Maybe he _had_ been too pushy and overprotective. He curled his hand into a fist on the CIC console. Should he apologize? Wait for Bill to? They hadn't talked today, which was a bad sign, but Saul had decided on his own to skip the morning briefing. 

"Colonel?" Saul turned. It was Dee.

"What is it, Dualla?" 

"The Commander would like to speak to you." She gave him a pointed look. What was up with that? "He and I just had a talk."

Saul raised an eyebrow. "You did?" 

Dee just nodded gravely.

When Saul got to Bill's quarters, he found him working on his model ship. That meant he was thinking. Good. 

"Dee said you wanted to talk?" 

"That's right." Bill got up—he seemed to be moving better, at least—and took his glasses off. "I want to apologize. The things I said to you the other day. They were out of line."

Saul shook his head. "Don't mention it." 

"I've been doing a lot of thinking." He came over and put his hand on Saul's shoulder. "You're right. About Lee. And maybe about Roslin." He kissed him. 

Saul's lips twitched. "Is this what you and Dualla talked about?" 

Bill's eyes crinkled. "Yeah. Yeah, we had a good talk." 

"So what do you want to do now?" 

"Get our fleet back together." Bill moved back over to his desk. He was still making slow, deliberate motions, but he seemed more confident. "You'll be back in command for a few days. Think you can handle that?" 

"What?" Saul stared at him. "Why? Where are you going?" 

Bill looked at Saul as if he were stupid. "Kobol." 

"Like hell are you going down there." 

"He's my son, Saul."

Saul advanced on him. "Well, then you're not going alone." 

**

It was late afternoon and Lee was beginning to doubt the veracity of the Cylon's claims. Elosha's death had cast over a pall over and they'd woken to rain that hadn't let up all day. Maybe it was the mood, but he was beginning to think she was leading them on. 

"How much longer is it now?" he asked her. She'd moved to the front today—if they were going to run into any more traps, it would be her stepping on them. 

"Another half day," she said. "We've lost time." It was obvious that she'd meant because they'd had to attend to their dead and Lee bristled. 

"You know what," he began, "I don't think you even know where you're going." He stopped and pulled out his sidearm. "You could be leading us in circles for all I know." 

"Lee," Kara said sharply. He ignored her. 

"I said before you would have to trust me." The Cylon spoke calmly, as if she didn't even register she had a gun held to her head. "You can shoot me if you want, but you'll be totally lost without me, Lee." 

"Captain Apollo," Laura said.

"What gives you the right to call me by name?" he muttered. "You don't know me." 

She turned to face him and he cocked his gun. 

"I have all of Boomer's memories," she went on. "I feel like I do know you." 

"But you _don't_ ," he snapped. "Don't even pretend you do, because—" 

"Lee!" Kara grabbed for his gun and he tried to wrestle out of her grasp. 

Suddenly, Helo shouted, "The right!" and Lee spun, along with the others, weapons drawn, to confront whatever was moving through the woods, rustling the leaves on the other side of the path. 

At the same time, another, familiar voice barked, "In front!" and they heard the sound of weapons clicking.

Kara's mouth dropped open and she lowered her gun as she recognized the voice. Lee did, too. 

"Colonel Tigh?" Lee called. 

Tigh stepped onto the path. "Lower your weapons!" he called back to whoever was behind him. "Repeat, lower your weapons. We found 'em." He shouldered his rifle once more, then reached back to help someone over the low wall along the path. 

It was Lee's father.


End file.
